Ruling MP Enam's father-in-law rescued

The father-in-law of Dr Enamur Rahman, the ruling MP from Savar, has been rescued by police in Malaysia two days after he was kidnapped, according to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).

Fazlul Haque, father of Dr Farida Parveen, third wife of Enamur Rahman, was abducted on Wednesday night when on way to Kuala Lumpur's Sepang International Airport.

The kidnappers called up the family in Bangladesh and demanded a ransom of Tk 10 million for Haque's release.

RAB nabbed two persons at Sirajganj on Friday night when the ransom was being collected.

After interrogating them, RAB managed to get in touch with one of the kidnappers in Malaysia.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian police rescued Fazlul Haque after he was inexplicably let off by the kidnappers, said RAB's additional director general (ADG) Colonel Ziaul Ahsan.

"I know Fazlul Haque has been rescued and kept in a safe place. I have been in touch with Dr Enam and he has told me his father-in-law is safe," Haque's brother-in-law Yusuf Ali told bdnews24.com that when he did not return to Bangladesh on Wednesday night, he called his mobile and found it switched-off.

Next morning, Haque called up his son from a Malaysian mobile and asked the family to pay up the ransom soonest possible, Ali said.

Yusuf Ali said that the kidnappers initially demanded payment in Malaysia but then agreed to cash payment to their accomplices on the eastern side of the Jamuna bridge.

The amount was also scaled down from the initial demand of Tk 100 million to Tk 10 million.

But nobody turned to receive the payment on Friday morning when family members turned up the Jamuna Bridge with the money.
The law enforcers, however, say that two suspected accomplice of the kidnappers were arrested while the ransom was changing hands.
Col Ziaul Ahsan said that a squad from RAB-12 nabbed Al Amin (27) and Nazrul Islam (31), both cousins, when they were receiving TK 7 million as ransom amount.
He said Al Amin's brother Sayed Ali was involved in Fazlul Haque's abduction in Malaysia.
"We got in touch with Sayed Ali through Al Amin and threatened to arrest his entire family, if Fazlul Haque was not released. He first threatened to kill Haque but then relented and let him free.

The Malaysian police rescued Haque and he is safe now," said Col Ahsan. But he could not say how many of the nine arrested in Malaysia were Bangladesh nationals.

MP Enamur Rahman was not taking calls from the press.

Fazlul Haque, on retirement from NGO Proshika, had started business and would often visit Malaysia, said his son Monirul Haque Mukul.

On 16th September, Haque was in Johore Bahru on Malaysia-Singapore border to start a new restaurant. He was supposed to return to Bangladesh on Wednesday night.

Another Bangladesh national Harun-ur-Rashid is Haque's partner in that restaurant, 'Payra Global'.

Haque used to stay in his own apartment in Malaysia and would use a Bangladeshi driver Delawar for moving around, son Mukul said.

"My father was heading for the airport in Kuala Lumpur in Delawar's taxicab. When we called Delawar, he said Haque had got down two kilometres ahead of the airport. But later we came to know of the abduction."