A senior land registration official was abducted in broad daylight outside the District Registrar’s Office in Khulna on Wednesday, sparking intense panic across the administrative hub. Tonmoy Kumar Mondal, the Sub-Registrar for Khulna Sadar, was intercepted and forced away by a gang of youths before returning to his office unharmed forty minutes later.
The incident occurred at approximately 2:45 pm on Wednesday, 7 October 2026, as Mr Mondal stepped out of his office for a lunch break and boarded a rickshaw. Eyewitnesses reported that a group of youths riding four motorcycles surrounded the vehicle almost instantly. Two men boarded the rickshaw, one forcefully covering the official’s mouth to prevent him from raising an alarm. After traveling a short distance, the abductors transferred him onto a motorcycle and whisked him away towards a shop near the Kalibari Ghat area.
News of the brazen abduction spread rapidly through the civic administration, prompting Khulna Sadar Police to initiate immediate raids and search operations around the riverbank and ferry terminals. Under heavy police pressure in the vicinity, the abductors released the official, placing him on a rickshaw back to his office. Upon his return, Mr Mondal appeared visibly shaken and initially remained reticent regarding the identity of his captors.
When pressed by reporters, Mr Mondal initially downplayed the ordeal, stating that several youths had merely taken him to a shop near Kalibari Ghat to verify the authenticity of certain documents before arranging a rickshaw for his return. However, he subsequently delivered a resolute statement emphasizing his refusal to yield to pressure or financial inducements. He asserted that he was serving in the public office with integrity, declaring that he would make no compromises with corrupt entities nor accept illicit payments under any circumstances.
Local residents highlighted that the Kalibari riverbank area is notoriously influenced by a prominent local criminal syndicate known as the ‘B Company’, a group previously implicated in a high-profile double homicide involving a father and son. Speculation points towards an attempt by criminal elements to force the official validation of fraudulent land deeds.
Lokman Hossain, Officer-in-Charge of Khulna Sadar Police Station, confirmed that police personnel responded immediately upon receiving the report. He noted that while the Sub-Registrar returned safely within forty minutes, law enforcement authorities have launched a thorough investigation to identify the perpetrators and determine the exact motives behind the abduction.
