The widely reported kidnapping of Mufti Mohammad Muhibbullah Miajee, the 60-year-old Khateeb of the T&T Colony Jame Mosque in Tongi, Gazipur, has taken a sharp turn as a police investigation and media scrutiny cast serious doubt on his claims. Muhibbullah, also known on social media as Maulana Mufti Muhibbullah Madani, alleged he was abducted on the morning of October 22, but CCTV footage and evidence strongly contradict his narrative, leading investigators to suspect the Khateeb himself staged the incident.
Muhibbullah claimed he was forcibly taken by four to five unknown assailants in an ambulance from the front of the Shilmun Axis Link CNG Filling & Conversion Center in Tongi at around 7:00 AM on October 22. He was reportedly found tied up with chains to a tree the following day in Panchagarh and subsequently gave statements to the media about his ordeal and alleged torture.
CCTV Footage Contradicts Kidnapping Story
An investigation by ‘Deshkal News’ and corroborating police findings reveal significant inconsistencies in the Khateeb’s account. Multiple CCTV footages from the area and the specific location mentioned in his police case (First Information Report or FIR) do not show any abduction taking place.
- Footage from the vicinity shows Muhibbullah walking quickly and alone past the Filling Station at 7:18 AM. His claim that an ambulance blocked his path and he was kidnapped at that location is not supported by the video evidence.
- No ambulance was seen near the reported time and location of the alleged abduction.
- The Khateeb left his residence at 6:52 AM and walked approximately two kilometers to reach the filling station at 7:18 AM, and continued walking further, indicating a long-distance stroll, which his muezzin, Md. Saifullah, confirmed was not his regular habit. Muhibbullah was later seen walking alone on police-installed CCTV cameras further down the road, before disappearing from view.
Police Suggest Staged Kidnapping
High-ranking police officials involved in the investigation, speaking to ‘Deshkal News’ anonymously, have indicated they believe the entire incident was a fabrication.
One senior Gazipur police official stated, “Muhibbullah himself chained his own feet and lay down. He did all these things himself. No one took him to Panchagarh. He will be the accused in his own case. Muhibbullah staged his own kidnapping drama.”
The official added that despite the Khateeb’s detailed descriptions of torture, including being hit with a water-filled glass bottle and having part of his beard cut, no visible marks or severe injuries were found on his body. Dr. Md. Mizanur Rahman, the Civil Surgeon of Panchagarh, confirmed that while Muhibbullah complained of pain, they found “no cuts or visible signs of injury” consistent with the described beating.
Law enforcement agencies, after tracking his mobile phone, found that Muhibbullah traveled first to Sirajganj and then to Panchagarh on his own.
The Anonymous Threat Letters
In his FIR filed with Tongi East Police Station, Muhibbullah claimed he had been receiving threatening anonymous letters for the past 11 months, which he attributed to ‘Isckon terrorists’. He alleged the letters demanded he:
- Speak in favour of ‘Akhanda Bharat’ (Undivided India).
- Tactfully advocate for the release of an imprisoned ‘ISKCON’ leader, Chinmoy Das.
- Speak out against Islamic political parties, the BNP, and the NCP.
- Issue a fatwa that interfaith romance between Muslim girls and Hindu boys is permissible.
- Stop mentioning the words ‘Quran’, ‘Islam’, ‘Allah’, and ‘Muhammad (PBUH)’ in the mosque.
The Khateeb claimed the latest letter, received on October 21, threatened death, rape of family members, and destruction of the mosque if he did not comply. ‘Deshkal News’ obtained copies of two of these letters, which contain similar rhetoric and are written in a distinctive style, using non-standard Bengali terminology like ‘adhikarik’ (official) and ‘purba banga’ (East Bengal).
However, the timing and sudden public disclosure of these letters, coinciding with the alleged abduction, along with the numerous inconsistencies in the kidnapping narrative, have shifted the focus of the police investigation onto Muhibbullah himself.
Tongi East Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md. Wahiduzzaman stated that it is a “very sensitive case” and that an investigation is underway, the details of which will be disclosed at a press conference upon conclusion.
Muhibbullah was questioned by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) before reportedly checking into a hospital in Dhaka, making it difficult for media to obtain a current statement from him. Law enforcement sources have indicated that he is under surveillance and may be arrested soon.
