2 members of Libya Bangladeshi expatriates held

The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) Narayanganj District Unit has arrested two members of an organised gang accused of kidnapping a Bangladeshi expatriate worker in Libya at gunpoint and extracting a large ransom from his family through threats and torture.

The arrested individuals are Uttam Sarkar, also known as Sumon (44), and Marzina Begum (39).
They were detained from the Signboard area under Fatullah police station in Narayanganj and later produced before the court. Marzina Begum has given a confessional statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

According to PBI sources, on 17 March 2025, expatriate Idris Ali (54) was abducted by an armed gang in the Anjara area of Tripoli, the capital of Libya. He was held captive for approximately one and a half months and subjected to severe physical and mental torture.

His eyes were blindfolded, he was transported in a vehicle, and he was locked in a room. The gang contacted his family via video call, threatened to kill him, and demanded a total ransom of Tk 50,50,000.

The money was transferred through various bank accounts and bKash. On 8 April, the gang abandoned him by the roadside in the Medina area of Tripoli. With the assistance of the Bangladesh Embassy, Idris Ali returned to Bangladesh on 22 July and filed a case at Sonargaon police station.

As the case fell under the PBI’s scheduled list, the bureau took it over suo motu on 16 September and launched an investigation. Under the supervision of the PBI chief and the direction of Narayanganj Unit Police Super Mostafa Kamal Rashed, a specialised team used modern technology and intelligence information to carry out the operation that led to the arrests.

Investigation has revealed that the gang was exploiting the political instability in Libya to target innocent Bangladeshi migrant workers for kidnapping and ransom. Operations to arrest the remaining members of the gang are continuing, PBI officials said.