Bangladeshi taken hostage by Islamic State militants speaks to family from Libya

Helal Uddin of Jamalpur, one of the Bangladeshis taken hostage from Libya’s Al-Ghani oilfield 18 days ago, has spoken to his family over phone, his wife says.

Staff Correspondentand Jamalpur Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 24 March 2015, 03:26 PM
Updated : 30 Oct 2018, 07:18 PM

According to Aleya Begum, Helal Uddin spoke to her for four minutes and told her that he could be released within a day or two.
 
He had overheard his captors discussing his release, she said.
 
Islamic State (IS) militants had taken nine people, including two Bangladeshis, hostage after killing 11 guards at the oilfield on Mar 9. 
 
The other Bangladeshi hostage is Mohammad Anowar Hossain of Noakhali.
 
Helal called from an overseas number at 10:27am on Tuesday. Initially he could not recognise the voice of his wife and so he asked for his elder daughter ‘Helena’. 
 
When she realised that it was her father who had called after 18 anxious days, Helena broke down in tears of joy. So were her mother Aleya Begum and other family members.
 
Aleya Begum said her husband and other hostages were being kept at a house far away from their working place.
 
On Tuesday they were allowed to make calls to their family members from their captors’ phone.
 
Helal told his family members that they were ‘keeping well’ despite being served food only once in a day.
 
On that point, his captors took away the phone from him, abruptly ending the conversation. 
 
Helal Uddin went to Libya six years ago. Last year he had visited his family in Bangladesh on a two-month leave.
 
He had spoken to his family members around six days before being abducted.
 
Aleya Begum said they got married 23 years ago. Helena, who has been married off, is the eldest of their three children.
 
Their son Rubel Mia and daughter ‘Jyotsni’ are pursuing their studies.
 
His family members have demanded the government’s intervention for his release.
 
When asked about the development, Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain told bdnews24.com that they had no information about the phone call.
 
Earlier, on Mar 19, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali had said the government was completely in dark about the whereabouts and condition of the two Bangladeshi hostages.
 
No group claimed responsibility for the abduction.