Two Youths Held Hostage in Libya After Italy Job Lure, One Arrested in Ransom Case
The Criminal Investigation Department, CID Jessore, has arrested a man named Jamal Hawlader in a case filed over allegations that two youths were taken to Libya after being lured with high-paying jobs in Italy, held hostage there and made the subject of ransom demands.
He was arrested at around 12:30 pm on Thursday, November 12, from the Khulna Sadar Hospital intersection. The arrested Jamal Hawlader is the son of the late Chan Mia Hawlader of West Nandanpur village under Rupsa police station in Khulna.
According to the case statement, named accused Aynal Sardar lured Suman Hossain, son of Sufia Khatun of Mobarakpur village in Jhikargacha upazila, and Ujjwal Hossain, the son of Suman's stepmother, with promises of high-paying jobs in Italy.
Ten lakh taka was taken from their families as the cost of sending them abroad. They were then flown from Dhaka to Libya on June 27, 2022.
The complaint says that after being taken to Libya, the two youths were not given jobs in Italy but were instead illegally detained at an unknown place and held hostage.
A ransom of 30 lakh taka was later demanded for their release through accused Aynal Sardar and Asma Khatun. The complaint also says they were threatened with being sold to a Libyan mafia group if the money was not paid.
Videos and still images of physical torture of the two youths were sent by mobile phone to their families. Money was extorted at different times by showing the torture images and using intimidation.
The investigation found that, to save the two youths' lives, their families deposited a total of 22 lakh taka into bank accounts of different accused persons. Of that amount, four lakh taka was paid into Jamal Hawlader's bank account.
The investigating officer, CID Jessore Inspector Prabhas Mallik, said evidence of the arrested Jamal Hawlader's involvement in the incident was found during the investigation.
On Thursday afternoon, the arrested Jamal Hawlader was sent to jail through the court.
