'We were injected after waking, torture was routine’: Say Sirajganj ‘private Ayna Ghor’ escapees

Two people have escaped from an “Ayna Ghor” or “house of mirrors” torture chamber in Sirajganj’s Raiganj after six months of captivity.

One of the victims, a woman, said she was “kept unconscious most of the time”, injected with sedatives whenever she regained consciousness, and subjected to repeated torture.

She recounted that her captors tortured her and kept her barely fed.

The other victim, a man, also alleged sustained abuse, describing their ordeal as a nightmare of captivity and control. Both claimed they were abducted and held against their will in the secluded facility due to a land dispute.

On Thursday night, the two managed to escape by digging through a tunnel inside the concrete house of Suman Sheikh, son of Jahurul Islam, in Sonaram village of Chandaikona union.

Local residents gathered at the scene on Friday morning after the news of their escape spread.

The rescued individuals have been identified as Abdul Jubbar, 75, and Shilpi Begum, 48. They reportedly escaped around 1am on Thursday and recounted the incidents to relatives upon returning home.

Shilpi was admitted to Raiganj Upazila Health Complex while Jubbar was taken to Shaheed M Mansur Ali Medical College Hospital in Sirajganj.

One of the accused, Nazmul Hossain Arafat, a local rural medical practitioner and Raiganj correspondent for the Daily Inqilab, has been arrested.

Following his arrest, the Raiganj Press Club expelled him on Friday. Two cases were filed on Saturday in connection with the incident.

Shilpi said she had been abducted on Dec 12 last year. “On that day, Panna Khatun from neighbouring Khalifapara lured me out saying she would take me to a hospital. When we reached Tobaripara, I was forced into a waiting microbus.

“They taped my mouth shut and injected me. I lost consciousness.”

“Since then, they kept injecting me every time I regained consciousness. Arafat was the one who injected me,” she added.

Shilpi said Jubbar was already in the room when she was brought there.

“We were both kept in the same room,” she added. “The house owner, Suman, used to bring us food occasionally. Arafat and Momin came regularly.

“One day I asked them when they would let us go. They said ‘We will sell your kidney. This is our business’.”

She said at one point, they could hear an Islamic Jalsha (gathering) happening outside. “Hearing the words on the microphone, we realised we were somewhere in our own area. That’s when we began planning our escape.”

“We began to remove soil from the side of the wall inside the building,” Shilpi added. “After four days, we managed to break free in the middle of the night. We then went to Hotathpara Bazar, where someone helped us contact our families, and my husband came and took me home."

Jubbar, who had been missing since Nov 8, 2024, said he had been abducted from Hotathpara Bazar when he went to buy medicine. “Arafat forced me onto his motorbike and took me to Suman’s house.

“Suman gave us small amounts of food sometimes. They tied my hands with chains and beat me.

“Arafat and others came every few days, pressuring me to hand over my land, but I refused,” he added.