COMILLA — What initially triggered street protests and frantic police searches as the suspected abduction of a high-ranking Islamist student leader has taken a dramatic turn. Authorities revealed that the political figure staged his own disappearance to evade imminent marriage demands stemming from a criminal rape and forced abortion complaint.
Zisan Ahmed Pradhan, 28, the Central Assistant International Secretary of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir and former president of the organization’s Comilla District (West) unit, was discovered in a critical, semi-conscious state at Laksam Railway Junction on Friday night. This discovery came nearly 26 hours after his family reported him missing from Daudkandi.
However, within hours of his rescue, Comilla District Police dismantled the abduction narrative, exposing it as a calculated, self-inflicted disappearance.
The Staged Abduction and Rescue
According to initial reports, Zisan vanished on Thursday night, June 11, 2026, after performing Isha prayers at the Daudkandi Model Mosque. His mobile phone was switched off shortly after 8:00 PM, and his WhatsApp account became inactive. Following an unsuccessful search by his family, his cousin, Russel Ahmed, filed a General Diary (GD) with the Daudkandi Model Police Station on Friday morning.
The news of his disappearance prompted immediate political pushback. On Friday afternoon, Chhatra Shibir activists staged a large protest procession that marched from the Daudkandi Model Mosque to the Poura Bazar Big Mosque. Addressing the demonstration, Saiful Islam, Secretary of Chhatra Shibir’s Comilla University wing, and Shakil Adnan, President of Comilla North District Shibir, fiercely condemned the incident and demanded his immediate release, hinting at state or political foul play.
At around 10:00 PM on Friday, local residents at the Laksam Railway Junction spotted a semi-conscious man matching Zisan’s description and alerted the authorities. A rescue team from the Laksam Crossing Police Station responded, transferring him first to a local clinic and subsequently to Comilla Medical College Hospital for treatment.
Conflicting Narratives
Speaking from his hospital bed, Zisan initially maintained the abduction narrative, alleging that a group of unidentified men forced him into a vehicle.
“I was standing by the roadside in front of the Daudkandi Model Mosque after Isha prayers on Thursday night. At that moment, a vehicle abruptly pulled up in front of me, and several men forcibly dragged me inside. I cannot recall anything that transpired after that.”
However, law enforcement officials quickly cast doubt on his account. Police investigators tracking local surveillance feeds discovered that while a specific vehicle had been identified near the scene, the timeline and movements did not align with a forced kidnapping.
Police Investigation and Rape Charges
On Saturday, June 13, 2026, the Comilla District Police issued an official press release that completely altered the trajectory of the case. Investigators revealed that a 25-year-old woman had stepped forward to file a formal case under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act at the Daudkandi Model Police Station, naming Zisan as the primary accused.
According to the police statement, Zisan had allegedly brought the woman to his rented apartment in Daudkandi on May 20, where he raped her under the false pretense of marriage. When the victim later became pregnant, Zisan reportedly forced her to undergo an abortion using termination medication.
The victim subsequently pressured Zisan to formalize their relationship, and he eventually agreed to marry her on Friday, June 12. Instead of fulfilling his promise, police state that Zisan staged his own kidnapping the night before the wedding to escape the situation, coordinating with his cousin to file the missing person report to establish an alibi.
Official Statements
The law enforcement leadership confirmed that the Chhatra Shibir leader faces severe criminal charges and that his claims of being kidnapped were entirely fabricated to escape legal and social accountability.
In an official statement to the national daily Samakal on Saturday, Comilla District Superintendent of Police (SP) Md. Anisuzzaman stated:
“The missing Shibir leader has been safely rescued, and our investigation confirms that he was never kidnapped. He went into hiding voluntarily to escape the fallout of a fraudulent relationship with a young woman. The victim has filed a formal case against him under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, bringing grave allegations that include forced abortion.”
Additionally, Kazi Kamrunnahar Lucky, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the Laksam Crossing Police Station, confirmed the initial recovery operations on Saturday morning:
“We recovered Zisan Ahmed Pradhan from the railway junction in an ailing condition after being alerted by locals. While we ensured his immediate transfer to the Comilla Medical College Hospital for medical clearance, the core investigation regarding his disappearance remains with the Daudkandi Police, where his family originally filed the complaint.”
Daudkandi Model Police Station officials confirmed that the missing person investigation has now transitioned into a criminal prosecution. Zisan has been placed under formal arrest and remains under police guard at the hospital pending his official discharge and subsequent court appearance.
