Union council member Rustam Ali of ward 9 under Eidgar Union in Ramu, Cox’s Bazar, was released on Wednesday night after his family paid Tk 800,000 to masked armed abductors. He had been kidnapped earlier that morning while traveling from Eidgaon to his home in Eidgar. The release took place around 8 p.m. in a hilly forest area about three kilometers inside the Swapnotori area of Joarianala Union.

According to the victim’s uncle, Karim Maulvi, the abductors initially demanded Tk 3 million as ransom but later freed Rustam Ali after receiving Tk 800,000. Police from Ramu station arrived at the scene after being informed of the release, though attempts to contact the station’s officer-in-charge, Monirul Islam Bhuiyan, were unsuccessful as his phone was found switched off.

The incident highlights ongoing security concerns in the hilly regions of Cox’s Bazar, where abductions for ransom have been reported in the past, though no further details were available from authorities at the time of reporting.