Dhaka: A journalist at new media outlet Dhaka Stream has alleged that he was the target of an attempted abduction at the Moghbazar intersection in the capital on Monday night. The victim, Ataur Rahman, is a senior reporter at Dhaka Stream.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Ataur Rahman described the incident, stating that he was returning home after office in Panthapath around 10:15pm, accompanied by his former colleague Mohir Maroof. As they crossed the road, Maroof was looking for a rickshaw when a man exited a vehicle (Dhaka Metro-Gha: 11-9899) carrying a stick and attempted to force Ataur into the car with the intention of abducting him. When Ataur resisted, three more men emerged from the vehicle and tried to push him inside, also physically assaulting him. The situation escalated until bystanders intervened, causing the assailants to accuse Ataur of verbal abuse before fleeing the scene.
Witness Mohir Maroof, now working at UNB, corroborated the account. He observed a black private car stop at the signal, and a man getting out from the front seat to force Ataur into the vehicle. Mohir ran to alert the traffic police on duty, but by the time they returned, four men were attempting to take Ataur away. The situation was diffused when passersby joined the effort to resist, prompting the attackers to flee while blaming Ataur for alleged verbal abuse. Despite Ataur identifying himself as a journalist, the assailants continued to physically assault him before escaping.
Other witnesses confirmed that the attackers stopped their vehicle suddenly and attempted to abduct a man, but retreated when a crowd gathered. Officer-in-Charge of Hatirjheel Police Station Asaduzzaman reported that a complaint has been filed regarding the incident. An officer has been assigned to investigate, with instructions to collect CCTV footage from the scene, and the vehicle number has been identified. The investigation is currently ongoing, following the filing of the complaint with Hatirjheel Police Station on Tuesday.