Hindu school girl abducted in Lalmonirhat

A Hindu schoolgirl was kidnapped from Durakuti village of Mogholhat union in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila as she was on route to attend the Ashtamisnan (religious bathing) festival on Monday.

The girl, Maloti Rani, 13, is the daughter of Jagadish Chandra Ram, a resident of the village. She is a seventh grader at the Bisbari Ebatonnesa Girls’ High School.

Jagadish lodged a case with Lalmonirhat Sadar police station against four people on Wednesday night, three of whom were unnamed.

Police said Ismail Hossain and his cohorts abducted the girl as she was on her way to the festival held on the bank of Ratnai river in the village on Monday morning.

Maloti Rani’s younger sister Jaymoni Rani, 11, was with her when she was picked up and she immediately informed her parents of the incident. The abductors, however, left the spot fast.

Jagadish said Ismail, son of Abdul Hamid of Shalmara village of Aditmari upazila, had been harassing his daughter for the past one year.

“My wife and I protested against Ismail’s actions several times but it didn’t stop,” he said, adding that he didn’t go for legal action for fear of losing his family’s dignity.

“In the last two weeks, Ismail threatened me twice that he would kidnap my daughter,” said the girl’s mother Jayanti Rani.

“Ismail is a notorious man in the village. He can do anything to my daughter,” she spoke worriedly.

Officer-in-charge of Lalmonirhat Sadar police station Mansur Ali said police would take necessary action in this regard.

Source: Dhaka Tribune