Nizam was forced to walk for hours blindfolded, says wife Maisura

Sonali Bank's Ruma Branch Manager Nizam Uddin was blindfolded and forced to walk for hours through hilly trails by his captors, causing him pain and exhaustion, said his wife Maisura Isfat.

Maisura spoke to TBS over the phone on Friday and described her husband's ordeal during his days of captivity. On the night of 2 April, armed insurgent group Kuki-Chin National Front attacked the Ruma branch of Sonali Bank and kidnapped Nizam Uddin. 

"Nizam was blindfolded after being taken to a hilly trail and forced on a long trek on Tuesday night. They made him walk for two and a half hours. His feet are swollen, and he is in a lot of pain," Maisura said.

The kidnappers spoke among themselves in Bawm (an indigenous language) but used Bangla with Nizam. His blindfold was taken off after a while to facilitate their journey.

"They were relatively polite but he was under a lot of pressure with 10-12 armed men guarding him constantly," Maisura said. "He was allowed to sleep for a while at around 2:30am on Wednesday after the trek through the narrow trails of the high terrain."

"On Wednesday morning, after having breakfast at around 7am, he was again made to walk to another location. There, about 30 to 35 armed men were stationed.

"Nizam was served rice, lentils, and fried eggs on banana leaves, and then walked to another place through the hilly trails. He was given a 15-minute break and afterwards, they continued the trek. He was served dinner at around 7pm after reaching their destination," Maisura added.

She further added, "At around 8pm, the kidnappers took him to a tin shack and let him sleep there. They stayed with Nizam there until 3pm on Thursday. Then they walked him for about an hour to another location where he was allowed to rest for about an hour," she added.

Nizam was then moved to another location by motorcycle. He was also allowed to speak to Maisura over the phone.

"When I heard the news of the kidnapping, I was devastated. I thought I had lost him. After talking to him, I felt a little better. Now I am grateful he is back unharmed," Maisura said.

Nizam is currently recovering from the physical and mental trauma of his ordeal. Maisura requested well wishes for his speedy recovery.

Nizam Uddin was freed on Thursday around 7:30pm reportedly after a Tk15 lakh ransom was paid to KNF.