An undergraduate student was abducted, physically assaulted, and subjected to extortion in Narayanganj’s Araihazar upazila on Sunday after sharing a social media post commenting on widespread electricity load-shedding. The violent encounter unfolded within the premises of a local club situated adjacent to the Araihazar Police Station, raising severe concerns over local security and political intimidation. The attack has been attributed to activists affiliated with the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student organization associated with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
The victim, 22-year-old Arafat Hossain, is a second-year degree student at Government Safar Ali College and the son of Benu Fakir, a resident of Karaitala village within Bishnandi Union. Official accounts from Araihazar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Sabzel Hossain and statements from the victim’s family confirm that the abduction took place around noon in the busy Araihazar Bazar district.
Detailing the incident, Arafat’s uncle, Daiyan Fakir—who holds the position of vice-president within the Bishnandi Union unit of the Sramik Dal—recounted that his nephew had parked his motorcycle inside the secure compound of the local police station before visiting a nearby gymnasium. As Arafat retrieved his vehicle and exited the gates, he was ambushed by a group led by Ataur Rahman Sunny, the former senior joint convener of the Araihazar Pourashava JCD unit. The gang forcibly dragged the student into the nearby “Nazrul Islam Azad Welfare Council” facility, holding him against his will while subjecting him to physical violence.
Throughout the period of unlawful confinement, the perpetrators demanded a financial ransom from Arafat’s family. Under duress, the family transferred 20,000 taka (approximately £130) across two transactions via the bKash mobile banking system, securing the student’s release at around 3:30 pm. Relatives also revealed that the captors coerced Arafat into recording a filmed confession, forcing him under threat of further harm to declare himself a member of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) connected to a former local Member of Parliament.
“My nephew did nothing more than share a post regarding local power outages,” explained Daiyan Fakir, pointing to his family’s long-standing political ties. “I serve within the Sramik Dal, and Arafat’s father has always backed the BNP. They assaulted him mercilessly, falsely tagged him as a Chhatra League operative, and filmed a forced video statement. We were forced to send 20,000 taka by bKash simply to save his life.”
Following his release from captivity, Arafat was taken to the Araihazar Upazila Health Complex to receive treatment for multiple blunt-force injuries. While the family initially reported the crime verbally at the police station, Daiyan Fakir later confirmed via telephone that associates of the accused JCD leader have issued severe threats against the family to deter them from pursuing formal legal action.
Efforts to obtain a response from accused JCD leader Ataur Rahman Sunny were unsuccessful, as his primary mobile number remained uncontactable. Commenting on the situation, Mobarak Hossain, former member secretary of Araihazar Upazila JCD, confirmed that he was made aware of the confrontation while out of town. He emphasized that law enforcement agencies must hold any offender accountable regardless of political affiliations, promising internal organizational inquiries. However, Mobarak also asserted that the victim had engaged in a series of online posts and shared videos criticizing the BNP government and the Prime Minister over administrative matters, including energy shortages.
OC Sabzel Hossain stated that police officers dispatched to the location corroborated that the young man was detained and assaulted inside the club building. While the investigation into the monetary extortion remains ongoing, the police administration assured that full criminal charges will be formally registered upon receiving a written complaint from the victim’s family
