A violent abduction has sent shockwaves through the border upazila of Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar, where an 11-year-old madrasa student was snatched by a heavily armed bandit gang on his way home from agricultural land on Saturday evening.
The victim, identified as Mohammad Rihan, is the son of Jamil Hossain and resides in the Roikhyang area of Ward No. 3 under the Hwaykong Union. Rihan, a fifth-grade student at the local Bakhil Nurani Madrasa, was returning from farmland adjacent to the dense forests of the Putibuniya area in Mijjirchhara alongside his maternal uncle, Nurul Kabir, when the ambush took place.
Recounting the terrifying ordeal, Nurul Kabir stated that he and his young nephew were ambushed by a 7 to 8-member gang wielding deadly weapons as they made their way back from inspecting their crops. The armed men quickly encircled the duo and attempted to dragged both of them deep into the hills. Acting on instinct, Kabir brandished a harvesting machete he was carrying, managed to intimidate the assailants briefly, and broke free from their grip. Although Kabir made a desperate escape to seek help, the bandits retained their grip on Rihan and dragged the boy into the impenetrable terrain.
Rihan’s distressed mother, Samsun Nahar, confirmed the circumstances surrounding her son’s sudden disappearance, expressing grave concern for his safety amidst a escalating wave of woodland kidnappings across the region.
Teknaf Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Saiful Islam acknowledged the event, noting that law enforcement authorities had not yet received a formal written complaint from the victim’s family at the time of reporting. However, he reassured the public that police teams were monitoring the situation closely and would launch targeted operations to rescue the boy as soon as official procedures were initiated.
The southern border region of Teknaf, characterised by rugged hills, dense jungle, and proximity to the Myanmar frontier, has increasingly suffered from the menace of opportunistic bandit groups. Local residents have long voiced alarm over these criminal syndicates, who frequently target vulnerable villagers, farmers, and children near the forest margins to extract hefty ransoms. The abduction of young Rihan highlights the ongoing security challenges facing rural communities in Cox’s Bazar, where remote topography provides cover for lawless gangs.
