Bangladeshi man pays Rs 50 lakh to his kidnappers: Police

A Bangladeshi businessman has alleged that some persons had kidnapped him and he had to pay a ransom of Rs 50 lakh to them for his release, a senior police officer said on Wednesday.

The businessman has lodged a complaint at Entally Police Station here on Sunday about his kidnap and payment of ransom to his abductors.

The Bangladeshi businessman Bashir Miya had stated in the complaint that he had paid a ransom of Rs 50 lakh to the kidnappers who are known to him after they had forcibly detained him at an unknown location in Habra area of North 24 Parganas district, the officer said.

Bashir had arrived in Kolkata last week to purchase some jewellery for his wife and he was carrying US dollars with him. He met some people in connection with business deals at a shopping mall in Sealdah area on Saturday, the officer said.

During the meeting on Saturday Bashir had lunch with them at the shopping mall. He alleged that after lunch, he along with others boarded a train to Habra to meet another person for a business deal, the officer said.

After reaching Habra the accused people took him to an unknown location and tied up his hands and blindfolded his eyes, the officer said quoting the FIR.

"From there they forced him to call his father in Bangladesh. He arranged cash of nearly Rs six lakh to pay the ransom," the officer said.

Bashir alleged that the kidnappers also snatched away foreign currency amounting to nearly Rs 44 lakh in Indian rupees which he had with him.

They had also fixed two agents to make Bashir cross the India-Bangladesh border. But when he threatened the two agents of divulging the entire story to the BSF personnel, they let him go, the officer said.

After he was freed, Bashir went to the Entally Police Station and lodged a complaint in this connection on Sunday.

"We have initiated a probe into the matter and checking the CCTV footages of the shopping mall where they had food. We have also contacted North 24 Parganas district police for this," the officer added.