Four members of a family in Chandpur, including local businessman Pintu Das, have reportedly gone missing, prompting concern among relatives, customers and residents in the area.
Pintu Das, proprietor of SK Shilpalay in Chandpur town, is missing along with his wife Rimi Das and their two sons, Priyam and Rupam Das. The matter was confirmed on Wednesday, 26 August, by Upoma Dey, a close relative of Pintu and joint convenor of the Chandpur district unit of the Hindu Buddhist Christian Chhatra Oikya Parishad.
According to family members, Pintu lived in a rented house in Chandpur town with his wife and children. He was reportedly facing financial difficulties and had accumulated debts for various reasons. Relatives also learnt that a person from Patwari Bari had allegedly been threatening him in recent times. The family has linked the threats to the period preceding his disappearance, although the circumstances have not yet been established by the police.
Local residents have raised separate concerns about Pintu’s business dealings. They said he was involved in a gold-pawn business, taking gold ornaments from customers as security against loans. Some alleged that he had subsequently been unable to return the pledged gold within the agreed timeframe. There were also claims that he had taken loans from several cooperative societies in connection with his business, adding to his financial difficulties.
According to local accounts, Pintu had operated from several locations before moving to the ground floor of Madina Market, where he ran a business called SK Shilpalay. He reportedly rented the premises around five to six months ago. Some customers have alleged that the amount of money offered against pledged gold was considerably lower than the prevailing market value of the ornaments.
One customer, Russell Khan, son of Mansur Khan of Raghunathpur, said he had pledged two and a half bhori of gold ornaments to Pintu for Tk 50,000. When Russell later returned with the money to reclaim his ornaments, Pintu allegedly asked him to come back the following day. Russell said he subsequently learnt that Pintu had disappeared with his wife and children. He also said he had lodged a complaint with the police over the matter.
Two other residents have also claimed to have pledged gold with Pintu. Zahidul Islam of South Gunrajdi said he had pledged 12 ana of gold, while Shubhankar Majumder claimed to have pledged 10 ana. Their statements have added to concerns among people who may have had financial dealings with the businessman.
Pintu’s family home is reportedly in Fatikchhari of Chattogram. He is also understood to have relatives in Cumilla and Mudaffarganj. Following the disappearance, relatives and local residents have been trying to determine whether the family has genuinely gone missing or left voluntarily.
The distinction is significant because police have yet to establish what happened to the four family members or why they left their home. The allegations concerning debt, threats and pledged gold remain matters for investigation and cannot, at this stage, be treated as established facts.
Ferdous, second officer at Chandpur Sadar Model Police Station, said it could be difficult to locate Pintu if he had deliberately gone into hiding with his family. He also said he could not immediately confirm whether a formal complaint had been lodged with the station.
The officer-in-charge of Chandpur Sadar Model Police Station said he had only just learnt about the disappearance of Pintu and the other three family members. Police would investigate the matter and take the necessary steps to locate them, he said.
The investigation is expected to clarify whether the family left voluntarily or whether there were other circumstances behind their disappearance. Police will also need to examine the claims surrounding Pintu’s financial liabilities, alleged threats and gold-pawn transactions as part of efforts to establish what happened.
