A Job prospect turned into a horrifying ordeal for a young man from Mymensingh’s Ishwarganj upazila, who was abducted, violently assaulted, and left with a broken leg after his captors failed to extract a five-lakh-taka ransom from his impoverished family.
Anisuzzaman Jaman, the son of the late Joynal Abedin from Kashipur village in Sarisha Union, is currently undergoing treatment at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. Recounting his harrowing experience from his hospital bed on Wednesday, a tearful Jaman recalled pleading with his tormentors: “If you kill me, at least send my body home to my mother.”
According to Jaman, the nightmare began on Monday morning when he travelled to the Rasulpur area of Muktagachha upazila under the impression of securing employment. Upon his arrival, four unidentified men on motorcycles approached him. They grabbed his arms and pressed a tissue-like material over his nose, causing him to lose consciousness almost instantly.
When Jaman regained awareness around 2:30 pm, he found himself in an open area along the banks of the Dhaleshwari River, being subjected to a severe beating. The abductors then forced him to contact his mother, Jahanara Begum, demanding five lakh taka for his release. Mrs Begum, who has been battling blood cancer for twelve years and lives in acute poverty, managed to scrape together five thousand taka to send to the captors.
Despite receiving the money, the gang continued their assault. They beat Jaman mercilessly with iron pipes, fracturing his right leg, and struck his head with a sharp weapon—an injury that later required seven stitches. Overwhelmed by the intense pain and brutal physical trauma, Jaman lost consciousness once more.
Upon waking around 9:00 pm, he managed to crawl onto a nearby road and cry out for help. Passers-by rushed to his aid, rescuing him from the secluded area. His elder sister, Badrunnesa Salma, subsequently admitted him to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital in the early hours of Tuesday at around 2:30 am.
Speaking about the tragedy, Badrunnesa Salma expressed her despair over the attack on her innocent brother. She explained that the family’s financial condition was dire, worsened by years of funding their mother’s cancer treatment, and demanded immediate justice against the perpetrators. Mrs Begum, who relies entirely on Jaman for daily care, wept as she prayed for divine justice against those who had tortured her simple-minded son.
Law enforcement agencies have initiated preliminary inquiries into the incident. Sajjad Roman, the Officer-in-Charge of Ishwarganj Police Station, confirmed that police officers have been dispatched to investigate the matter and that appropriate legal action will follow.
Fraudulent job offers paired with abduction and extortion represent a growing tactic employed by organised criminal syndicates across various districts in Bangladesh. Unemployed youths from rural areas are particularly vulnerable to these schemes, often lured with false promises of overseas employment, government jobs, or lucrative private sector positions. Once isolated, victims are subjected to extreme violence while kidnappers exert psychological pressure on distressed families to extort ransom payments. Local authorities frequently urge the public to verify job offers thoroughly through official channels before meeting unfamiliar contacts in isolated areas.
