Three madrasa girls have remained missing for one and a half months in Thakurgaon, leaving their families in deep distress.
The missing girls are Jui, 15, daughter of Shahjalal from Muraripur village in Birganj upazila of Dinajpur; Jannatul Ferdous Tamanna, 16, daughter of Jahangir Alam of Ganakpoyen village in the same upazila and Ayesha Siddika, 14, daughter of Rabiul of Gobindnagar area of Thakurgaon Sadar.
They were students of Hazrat Ayesha Siddika (RA) Girls’ Madrasha at Salander Madrasa Para area in Sadar upazila.
Despite frantic searches, printing posters with their photos, and visiting different offices, relatives said the disappearance mystery is only deepening with time.
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Police and family members said the girls left their madrasha dormitory on September 8 night and checked into a residential hotel in the town.
They left the hotel before dawn and have not been seen since.
A general diary (GD) was filed at Thakurgaon Sadar Police Station on September 9.
Madrasha authorities said the three girls were last seen inside the madrasha around midnight on September 8.
Around 5 am, when a staff member went to call them, their beds were found empty.
A mosquito net was tied to the railing of the first floor corridor, prompting speculation that they had escaped using it.
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Police said CCTV footage collected from different spots in the town showed that the three rode a rickshaw to Thakurgaon bus stand around 1 am, later headed to Thakurgaon railway station and then checked into a residential hotel as there was no train at the time.
They stayed there until 4 am and with the help of the hotel manager, they later returned to the railway station and eventually took an autorickshaw towards Pirganj.
Asaduzzaman Imon, manager of the hotel, said the girls came around 2 am and asked for a place to stay for a few hours.
“They said they would leave before dawn. Later, I helped them carry their bags to a vehicle,” he said.
“We are going door-to-door, seeking help from police and administration, but nothing is being solved,” a family member said expressing disappointment that there had been no progress even after 48 days.
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Akhlima Begum, mother of missing Tamanna, blamed the madrasha authorities for the lack of security. “There are no guards. The corridor has no grills. Anyone can enter or leave easily,” she said.
Laboni, sister of missing Ayesha, said,“My sister told us she was being tortured and begged us to bring her home. Now we have lost her. I am certain the torture forced them to flee,” she claimed.
Acknowledging security gaps, madrasha principal Hamida Begum said, “We did not anticipate such an incident. We were working to improve security.”
She denied allegations of torture. “The accusations against me are baseless. We are also trying to find them,” she added.
Thakurgaon Superintendent of Police Sheikh Zahidul Islam said the case is being treated with utmost importance. “Multiple agencies are working. There is no negligence from the police,” he said.
Deputy Commissioner Israt Farzana said senior officials were alerted immediately after the girls went missing. “We are doing everything we can. We hope they will return to their families soon,” she added.