by Hafizur Rahman
Cox’s Bazar | July 30, 2026
Bangladesh’s Armed Police Battalion (APBn) has arrested three more suspects in connection with the kidnapping of a Rohingya child from Camp 11 in Ukhiya, bringing the total number of arrests in the case to four.
The child, identified by police as six-year-old Rahmat Ali, was reportedly abducted from Block E-4 on July 22. According to APBn, the kidnappers demanded Tk 320,000 from his family for his release.
The family reportedly paid the ransom, after which Rahmat was released unharmed on July 26. Police said the family had not immediately reported the kidnapping because the perpetrators had threatened them.
Authorities became aware of the case after a video of the child circulated on social media. Officers from the Moynarghona Police Camp under APBn-8 subsequently began investigating the abduction.
Police first arrested Zakaria, 30, on the night of July 27. Information obtained during the investigation reportedly led officers to conduct another operation in Camp 18 early on July 29.
During that operation, police arrested three additional suspects—Saber, 28, Zubair, 37, and Mohammad Solam, 35—from Blocks K-8 and K-9 of Camp 18.
All four suspects have been handed over to Ukhiya Police Station. APBn said the case is being investigated under Bangladesh’s Women and Children Repression Prevention Act and that further legal proceedings are underway.
Police said the investigation remains ongoing and that additional action could be taken if evidence indicates the involvement of other individuals.
The case is among several reported kidnappings involving Rohingya residents, including children, in the Cox’s Bazar camps during July. The incidents have intensified concerns about organised abduction and ransom networks targeting families already facing severe financial hardship.
