Police have arrested two people over the alleged abduction and assault of a journalist in Chattogram's Halishahar, where he was allegedly threatened with a pistol and a knife, robbed of Tk15,000 in cash, and forced to hand over his bKash account PIN, allowing the assailants to withdraw another Tk55,300.
The journalist, a staff reporter for the Daily Purbodesh, also alleged that the attackers demanded Tk2 lakh in ransom, forced a packet of condoms into his hand, and filmed him to blackmail him. They threatened to kill him and release the video if he told anyone about the incident or sought legal action, according to the case documents.
The arrestees are Mohammad Arif Hossain, 26, the eighth accused named in the case, and a 17-year-old boy identified as Sakib.
Mohammad Zainal Abedin Mondol, officer-in-charge (OC) of Halishahar Police Station, told The Business Standard that police arrested the two in overnight raids in the Bou-Bazar and Baropole areas of Halishahar on 15 October, shortly after the journalist filed a case.
According to the complaint, the incident took place around 4:30pm on 14 October, when Mohammad Abul Hossain went to the Ramna Residential Area to gather news.
The journalist alleged that a group of people surrounded him, accused him of coming to the area for an immoral act, and assaulted him. They then threatened him with a pistol and a knife before taking him to a spot near the canal.
The assailants took Tk15,000 from his wallet and demanded a further Tk2 lakh as ransom. When he refused to pay, they seized his mobile phone and forced him to disclose his bKash account PIN. They subsequently withdrew Tk55,300 from the account in four separate transactions, the complaint mentioned.
The journalist also alleged that the assailants forcibly placed a packet of condoms in his hand and recorded a video in an attempt to portray the incident differently. The complaint states that they threatened to kill him and release the video if he disclosed the incident to anyone or sought legal action.
The OC also said that the two were arrested shortly after the case was filed through raids aided by technology.
Police are examining bKash transaction records and conducting further technological investigations to identify the other accused, he said, adding that operations to arrest those involved were continuing.
Meanwhile, the Chattogram Journalists Union (CJU) strongly condemned the attack and alleged extortion of the journalist.
In a statement issued on 15 October, CJU President Riaz Haider Chowdhury and General Secretary Sabur Shubho called for the swift arrest of those involved and measures to ensure journalists' safety.