Missing Khilkhet boy’s family gets call claiming he is being held

A 12-year-old boy has gone missing from Dhaka’s Khilkhet area, with his family later receiving an anonymous phone call claiming that he was being held captive and abused.

The family said they heard what sounded like the child crying during the call.

According to the family, the caller allegedly claimed that the boy, Md Habibullah Naim, had been beaten and locked inside a bathroom before saying he was in the “Haji Bari Camp area” and abruptly ending the call.

Naim left his rented home on Kuritola School Road in Ward 17 of Khilkhet around 5:15pm Thursday after being scolded by his mother following an argument with his six-year-old younger brother, Adil, according to his uncle Golam Hossain.

The family said his mobile phone was switched off and they could not locate him despite searching with relatives.

Naim’s mother, Mst Sharifa Khatun, filed a general diary with Khilkhet Police Station. The family has also sought assistance from the Special Response Battalion and the Detective Branch to locate the boy.

According to the family’s application to the Special Response Battalion, the anonymous call came around 2:30am Friday. The caller claimed Naim was in their custody, while the family said they heard the child crying.

The caller’s identity and the authenticity of the claims could not immediately be verified, and the family said they have been unable to contact the number again.

Md Sohrab Al Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Khilkhet Police Station, said, "A general diary had been filed over the disappearance and police were working to locate the child."