Ujirpur Barisal Correspondent:
The Rahut Kathi Bazar Traders Association of Babuganj Upazila and locals have formed a human chain in search of missing trawler driver Mahabub Howlader from the Sandhya River in Uzirpur. The human chain was held at 10:30 am on February 5 at the initiative of the traditional Rahut Kathi Bazar Traders Association, relatives and locals of Dehergati Union No. 03 of Babuganj Upazila.
The event was chaired by the president of the market traders' association, Enamul Haque Khan, and was addressed by Babuganj Upazila BNP member ABM Mostafizur Rahman Faruk, Upazila Jubo Dal convener Rakibul Hasan Khan, Uzirpur Journalists Union General Secretary Md. Mahfuzur Rahman Masum, and missing Mahbub's elder brother Md. Jamal Hossain. The speakers said that since August 5, a group of seasonal extortionists, juvenile gangs, and occupying terrorists have been trying to destabilize the country by engaging in various heinous crimes such as arson, kidnapping, and disappearance, and in continuation of that, those extortionist terrorists have strategically kidnapped Mahbub with a trawler and kept him missing. Therefore, they demanded that the police administration find the kidnapped victim Mahbub. Jubo Dal leader Rakibul Hasan said that a group of extortionists are trying to put pressure on the party by intermingling with the BNP and causing one incident after another. They must be resisted, and at the same time, we must be vigilant against these seasonal blackmail terrorists.
Mahfuzur Rahman, general secretary of the Uzirpur Journalists Union, said that the people of the country want a natural death guarantee, everyone should stand up against extortionists and terrorists. The police should play a strong role in this regard. Jamal Hossain, the lessee of the ghat and brother of the missing Mahbub, said that the toll booth will remain closed until his brother is found. It is worth mentioning that Mahbub Howlader, a trawler driver from Mundapasha village in Uzirpur upazila of Barisal district, went missing along with the trawler on the way from Rahutkathi Ghat to Shikarpur from Babuganj-Uzirpur Sandhya River at around 10 pm on January 31. After that, he has not been found for the last 6 days. He is the son of Sekandar Howlader of Paschim Mundapasha village in Shikarpur union in Uzirpur upazila. According to local and family sources, Mahabul Howlader used to drive a trawler to cross the Shikarpur Khey Ghat regularly. On the day of the incident, January 31, at around 10:30 pm, 8 to 10 young and teenage passengers boarded his trawler. When they reached the middle of the river, they suddenly heard screams. However, as there were no other trawlers nearby, no one came to help.
Eyewitnesses and relatives on the riverbank believe that he was abducted in a planned manner due to past enmity and failure to pay extortion money to previous extortionists.
A general diary and later a regular case have been filed at Babuganj Police Station in this incident. Meanwhile, police from both police stations are trying to rescue the kidnapped person.
This incident is causing panic among the locals.
On Wednesday afternoon, Uzirpur Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md. Abdus Salam visited the house of missing Mahbubur Rahman and the scene of the incident.
Present at the event were Upazila BNP Joint Convener SM Alauddin, Uzirpur Upazila BNP Member Secretary Md. Humayun Khan, Shikarpur Union BNP President Abdur Rob Mia, and Ward No. 5 BNP President Md. Jasim Uddin.
The officer-in-charge of Uzirpur Model Police Station said that Babuganj Police Station and Uzirpur Police Station are jointly conducting rescue efforts.
Md. Mahfuzur Rahman (Masum)
Ujirpur Barisal Correspondent
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