Online Desk: Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) says it has arrested members of a notorious syndicate involved in a scheme of extortion after luring individuals with job offers. The operation led to the rescue of 27 individuals and the arrest of 14 members of the racket, including its five masterminds.

Assistant Director of RAB-1, Mahfuzur Rahman, who also serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Gazipur Police, announced these developments during a press briefing on Wednesday. He detailed the successful intervention against the group that deceived people with fictitious job opportunities only to capture and torture them for ransom.

The apprehended ringleaders were named as Astakul Amin Anam, 30, from Nilphamari; Md Toufique, 24; Imran Hossain, 19, from Rajshahi; Junayed, 19, from Natore; and Rony Ahmed, 21, from Mymensingh.

The elite force launched the operation following a distressing incident on March 19, when Sakib and Farzana Akter, lured by a job advertisement from ‘Best Action Security Service Limited’ published in a newspaper, were brutally assaulted and held captive. The kidnappers demanded a hefty ransom of Tk 5 lakh for their release, prompting Sakib’s father to contact RAB-1, which swiftly acted to free the victims and apprehend the culprits.

According to Rahman, the syndicate had been operating for three months from a rented house in the Rashid Market area, under the jurisdiction of Gachha Police Station, utilizing it as their base for these heinous activities. Following their arrest, the suspects confessed to their crimes during preliminary interrogations.