Direct Action: Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman Orchestrates Rapid Rescue of Kidnapped Schoolboy

DHAKA, Feb 24, 2026 — In a dramatic display of hands-on governance, Bangladesh’s newly sworn-in Prime Minister Tarique Rahman personally intervened on Tuesday to ensure the rescue of a kidnapped ninth-grader within just 75 minutes.

The incident, which occurred in the capital’s Khilgaon district, ended in relief after a high-stakes standoff between elite police units and a gang of abductors.

A Father’s Desperate Gamble

The ordeal began at approximately 2:30 PM when the victim, a student at the National Laboratory Ideal School, was intercepted by four to five assailants as he left the campus. The boy was forcibly taken to a seven-story unfinished building in the Jorpukur area.

Shortly after, the kidnappers contacted the boy’s father, Khandaker Shamim—an employee at the Bangladesh Secretariat—demanding a ransom of 50,000 BDT ($425 USD) and threatening to kill the child if the money was not delivered immediately.

In a moment of pure desperation, Shamim rushed to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) located within the Secretariat. Luck was on his side as he encountered Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, who was just leaving the building. Distraught and in tears, Shamim briefed the Prime Minister on the active kidnapping.

The "Command Center" Response

Moving with surprising speed for a head of state, PM Tarique Rahman did not delegate the task to an aide. Instead, he immediately placed a direct call to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the Ramna Police Division, Masud Alam.

"The Prime Minister was very clear: this child must be home before sunset," an official from the PM's press wing told reporters. "He instructed the police to utilize every technological tool available to track the suspects."

The 75-Minute Takedown

Following the PM's direct mandate, DC Masud Alam launched a "Stall and Trace" operation. Undercover officers contacted the kidnappers, pretending to negotiate the ransom. As the abductors haggled—at one point dropping their demand to 10,000 BDT—police digital forensic teams successfully triangulated the signal to the Khilgaon construction site.

As heavily armed police units closed in on the building, the kidnappers sensed the impending raid and fled the scene, abandoning the boy. By 5:00 PM, barely an hour and a quarter after the Prime Minister’s phone call, the student was found unharmed and reunited with his family.

A New Era of Accountability?

This intervention comes just one week after Tarique Rahman was sworn in as Prime Minister following the February 2026 general elections. For many international observers, the incident serves as a carefully timed signal of the new administration’s "Zero Tolerance" policy toward street crime and abduction.

While the victim is safe, a city-wide manhunt is currently underway to apprehend the fugitives. The PMO has requested a full report on the security lapse near the school, signaling that this "75-minute rescue" may lead to broader police reforms in the capital.

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