Police in Bogra search for four ‘missing’ youths

Police in Bogra have launched a search for four persons who have reportedly been missing for different periods amid recent findings that youths have been joining militant groups on running away from home.

They are SM Shah Alam of Tarakandi village, Abdus Salam of Pechibarhi village and Abul Mottaleb Majnu of Pirhati village from Dhunat Upazila, and ‘Shahinur’ of Dupchanchia Upazila’s Narai village.

Dhunat police OC Mizanur Rahman said Shah Alam is a former student of Dhaka University’s mass communication and journalism department. He went missing in 2001.

He could not give details about Alam as police were unable to locate any family members.

Salam is a ‘listed militant’ and an operative of outlawed militant outfit JMB from Dhunat, said OC Rahman. Salam had been arrested in Mymensingh once.

But he could not confirm whether Salam was out on bail.

Majnu first went missing in the 1990s. At that time, he had gone to Afghanistan to join a war as a Mujahidin, according to his elder brother Rezaul Haque Mintu.

“After returning home in 1992, Majnu said he was involved with (banned extremist group) Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami. He was arrested in Dhaka four or five years back for plotting to bomb the US embassy.

“We later heard that Majnu was staying at his in-law’s in Rajshahi after securing bail from the High Court,” Mintu said.

The family has no contact with Majnu.

OC Mizanur Rahman said they are looking for Majnu after being informed of his disappearance.

Dupchanchia police OC Md Nazrul Islam said Shahinur’s family had told them that the 22-year-old left home six months ago.

Shahinur’s mother told bdnews24.com that her son came home on Jun 7 on the occasion of Eid and stayed briefly. But since then, Shahinur has gone missing again.

OC Islam said no general diary (GD) was lodged over Shahinur’s disappearance.

“We know that Shahinur was involved with Shibir. But we are investigating whether he had any ties with militants.”

Islami Chhatra Shibir is the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami.

The five gunmen who attacked a cafe in Dhaka on July 1 and killed 20 hostages had been missing from home for several months, according to their families.

Two of them were also from Bogra - Shafikul Islam Ujjal of Dhunat’s Koiyagarhi village and Khairuzzaman of Shahjahanpur Upazila, police said.

One of the Sholakia attackers who was shot dead by police during the June 7 attack had also been missing for past four months.

The government started gathering information on youths who have been reported missing as authorities and parents began to worry after recent findings suggested that such youths tend to turn into religious extremists.

Bogra’s Assistant SP Munira Sultana told bdnews24.com that they had alerted the local administration officials including the chairmen of union councils to find out about people who are ‘missing’.