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Published : 04 Jul 2017, 06:52 PM
Farhad Mazhar in detectives’ custody
Farhad Mazhar found on bus in Jessore
The columnist was released in his own custody after recording his statement in court on Tuesday.
He was admitted to BIRDEM hospital after leaving Dhaka's Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court with his wife and daughter, said DMP deputy commissioner Biplob Kumar Saha.
"He was a taken to the hospital directly from court. He suffers from high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. He spent two days blindfolded, the stress has made him very ill. He is also mentally devastated," his family said in a statement.
Mazhar was led away by unknown men into a waiting microbus early Monday when he left home to buy medicines, police said citing his version of the disappearance.
In a frantic rescue effort, law-enforcement agencies brought him back to Dhaka on Tuesday from the southwestern district of Jessore, sparking speculations over the reported abduction.
He was taken to the court in the afternoon following hours of questioning at the Detective Branch offices in Dhaka.
Mazhar's statement was recorded at the chamber of a magistrate.
As soon as he was brought to the court, a petition was moved to release him by lawyer Sanaullah Mia, whose clients include BNP chief Khaleda Zia.
During the brief hearing over the petition, Mia urged the court to be informed about the case's details and Mazhar's statement.
The court said it was the police's job to brief the counsel over his client's statement and that the case relates to abduction and extortion.
The court then asked Mazhar whether he wanted to be released, to which he said yes.
He was then released on a Tk 10,000 bond.
On Monday, Mazhar's family reported to police that the 70-year-old was abducted after he left his Dhaka home around 5am following a phone call.
After word of his disappearance was out, law enforcers expanded their search to the southwestern region of the country. Police tracked his mobile phone to the area in the evening.
Hours later, he was briefly spotted in a Khulna restaurant, about 250 kilomtres away from Dhaka.
The sighting of the man prompted detectives to raid several places in Khulna City, but they could not find him.
He was eventually found sitting in white clothes on a rear seat of a bus in Jessore travelling back to the capital.
Despite the family's claim of abduction, law enforcers said they believe the poet-columnist 'staged a drama' citing the circumstances.
Police said he was found in a stable condition and was carrying a bag of clothes, money and his phone's charger.
Mazhar was later handed over to a team of Dhaka police, who brought him to the Adabor Police Station where he breakfasted on Tuesday morning.
He was then taken to the DB offices at the capital's Minto Road.
Mazhar's wife Farida Akhter, who was waiting in a car outside the DB offices, told bdnews24.com that she didn't get a chance to speak much with her husband on Tuesday morning.
"The last time, when we spoke yesterday, he said he had not eaten anything and he was blindfolded until evening."
After quizzing Mazhar, senior DB officer Baten told the media that the columnist told them that he was abducted by some unidentified men.
"He then called his wife from his phone and said he will be released for a ransom of Tk 3.5 million. We are trying to find out the identity of the abductors."
Facing a barrage of questions from reporters on the mysterious episode, the DB joint commissioner only said: “The investigation is still going on. We need more time.”
