Abu Bakar Siddique with his wife Syeda Rizwana Hasan at Dhanmondi Police Station in the capital around 3:00am today, after he was freed by abductors near the Ansar camp in Mirpur around 11:00pm yesterday. Photo: Grab from Ekattor TV

Kidnappers freed Abu Bakar Siddique, husband of prominent environment lawyer Syeda Rizwana Hasan, around 11:00pm yesterday, about 33 hours after the abduction.

Police later spotted him near Kalabagan on his way home on a CNG-run auto-rickshaw around 12:00am today, and took him to Dhanmondi Police Station. He later went to his Central Road home from there.
It still remains unclear who abducted him or why.
Syed Nurul Islam, superintendent of Narayanganj police, said they would try to find out the motive and the persons behind the abduction after gathering more information from the victim.
Talking to reporters at Dhanmondi Police Station, Siddique said his abductors left him blindfolded near Ansar Camp in Mirpur, and gave him Tk 300. He hired a rickshaw there to come to Kazipara from where he took a CNG-run auto-rickshaw to reach home.   
He said his abductors did not torture him or demanded any ransom.
In her reaction, his wife Rizwana told journalists, "I'm delighted. I'm thankful to the prime minister, the media, the law enforcers and all concerned for their efforts for his rescue."
The kidnappers were forced to release him because of the pressure from law enforcement agencies and the media, she added.
Gunmen kidnapped Siddique around 2:30pm on Wednesday in Fatullah of Narayanganj on his way to the capital.
A rescue operation began soon after and it continued throughout Wednesday night and yesterday, but law enforcers failed to make any headway.  
Investigators, however, identified the blue microbus used in the abduction from images captured around 2:53pm on a CCTV camera at Mayor Hanif Flyover in Gulistan.  
The footage showed the vehicle was heading towards Chankharpul in the capital. Toll collectors said they also saw the vehicle going in that direction.   
Police said they were yet to track down the microbus that used a fake registration number.
Siddique is the managing director of Hamid Fashion, a Narayanganj-based garment factory owned by Awami League lawmaker and State Minister for Power Nasrul Hamid Bipu.  
Early on the day, 43 rights activists and civil society members yesterday expressed deep concern over his abduction.
“People are passing days in anxiety as abductions are taking place one after another. If we allow the culture of impunity to continue, we all will be victims one way or the other," said Sultana Kamal at a press conference in the city's Brac Centre Inn.
The rights activists said people were losing confidence in law enforcers as such incidents were happening in broad daylight. They demanded that the government stop it.
Citing newspaper reports, advocate Hamida Hossain said at least 39 people were abducted in the first three months this year, but the enforcers rescued only four.
Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International, Bangladesh, read out a statement at the press conference. Information Commissioner Sadeka Halim, columnist Syed Abul Maksud and NGO Federation Chairperson Syed Ibrahim also spoke on the occasion.
“It is the duty of the law enforcers to stop such incidents from happening. And if they fail, they should be held accountable," said Sultana Kamal, executive director of rights body Ain o Salish Kendra.  
Speaking there, Rizwana reiterated that a number of companies whose interests were hurt because of her filing cases against them might have links with her husband's abduction.
Regarding the rescue efforts, she said, “So far, I have been getting support from the law enforcers."
Asked whether she got any threats following the abduction, she said she did not but received calls from unknown people who offered clues about the abduction.
She would not divulge the information and said she already shared those with law enforcers.
“He [Siddique] had no fault. If he had any fault, it was his support for my work," said the lawyer and environmentalist, who won Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2012 for her roles in protecting environment through legal means.
A number of longtime friends of Siddique also endorsed her statements.
“He is a modest, amicable and trustworthy man, and I have no clue why he was abducted,” said Nasrul Hamid Bipu, a school friend of the victim.
Contacted by The Daily Star, State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan said all the intelligence and law enforcement agencies were doing their utmost to rescue Siddique. “We are waiting for a breakthrough.”