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Two and a half months later, Imran still not found

Published : Wednesday, 2 September, 2026 at 7:18 PM

Observer Correspondent

File Photo

Two and a half months ago, 13-year old Imran took his father’s keys to the van so he could thrash the rice. When he failed to return, the van was later found, but the boy was nowhere to be found.

Two and a half months later, he still hasn’t been found, and his family is pleading to find him, even if he’s dead.

A 13-year-old boy, Imran, asked for the keys to his father's auto van that he uses to make a living. His father asked him what he would do with the car. Imran said that he would have to break two sacks of paddy with his neighbor Shamim Bhai. Imran went out today, but two and a half months have passed, but Imran is still missing.

‎‎Mother said, 'I found the car, but I didn't find the boy,' the father pleaded, 'Find him even if he is dead.

‎'Father, give me the keys to the van. I'm going to break two sacks of paddy.'

These were the last words of 13-year-old Imran Khan to his father Chunnu Khan. On the morning of June 14, he left home with his father's battery-powered van. The family claims that Imran left after going to break paddy with his neighbor ShamimMolya, but he never came back. Three days later, Imran's van was recovered from the house of Shamim's relative Elina Begum. Later, his used shoes and a spade were found in a jute field. Despite all this, nobody could piece together what happened to him or where he went; and so it would remain for more than two and a half months.

Imran was the eldest son of Chunnu Khan, a van driver from YusufdiaBhadrapara area of Salthaupazila. As the eldest son of a poor family, he used to help his father drive the van, sometimes driving the van himself.

Chunnu Khan said that on the morning of June 14, Imran came and asked for the keys to the van. He said that he was going to break two sacks of paddy. When asked whose paddy it was, Imran said it belonged to Shamim, the son of TukuMolla, a neighbor. He would then ask his son to come back as soon as possible.

After going to the market around 11 am and not finding Imran, Chunnu Khan started searching. The rest of the family also searched in different places, but he was nowhere to be found.

Later, Chunnu contacted Shamimwhen he was at home. When Imran asked where he was, he alleged that Shamim had said different things at different times. The investigation report given by the police mentioned Shamim's words as incoherent.

Imran's aunt Nasima said that Imran was with Shamim when he left the house. Family members said that some locals also saw Imran with a van. The family also received information that he was seen heading towards the jute field. Where Imran's went after that is still unknown.

His aunt said that his used shoes and a spade were found in the jute field after Imran went missing. However, it is not certain how these things got there and whether they have any connection to Imran's disappearance.

The incident of the recovery of the shoes and spade from the family has further increased concerns. Since, despite his belongings being found there, he still couldn’t be traced.

‎After Imran went missing, the battery-powered van he was carrying became a vital clue in the investigation.

‎The police report submitted to the court regarding the investigation of the case said that the van was recovered and seizedfrom Elina Begum's house in Kumarpatti area on June 17 at around 4:30 pm.

‎The report mentions the arrest of Elina Begum. The initial investigation also said that evidence was obtained regarding her involvement in the incident in the case. She is currently on bail.

‎Elina Begum was ShamimMollah's closest relative. The van in which Imran left the house was recovered from Shamim's relative's house three days later, making the matter important in the investigation.

‎However, even after the van was recovered, no confirmed information was found about Imran's whereabouts.

‎Imran's aunt,Nasima Begum, also said that Shamim has not been in the area since the van was recovered. Shamim has been marked as a fugitive in the investigation report submitted to the police court.

The fact that Shamim's name came up in the incident of calling Imran from his house, the recovery of the van from his relative's house and his subsequent absconding have further increased the suspicions of both the family and the police.

Imran's mother,Hajera Begum, has fallen silent, still waiting for her son, “I found the car, but I haven't found the son.” It is clear that the family wanted their son back, more than their van. One mother is still waiting for the day her dearest treasure comes back and calls for her.

Chunnu Khan said in a tearful voice, “I have no means to earn anything. I am poor. Find my son.”

He said, “I have found the shoes, I have found the spade, I have found the van; but I couldn’t find my dearest treasure, my beloved son.”

The family's been growing more anxious as they’re son remain missing for more than two and a half months. Chunnu Khan said, “Even if it’s just the bones of the boy, please find him.”

‎‎The family members are hoping to rescue Imran alive. At the same time, they have demanded that the issues of the recovery of the shoes, spade and van be investigated seriously to find their son.

In the case documents and the family’s statement, several things have come to light after Imran went missing: leaving the house on the morning of June 14, claiming to be with the accused Shamim, later finding the shoes and spade in the jute field, recovering the van from Shamim’s relative’s house on June 17, and mentioning Shamim as a fugitive.

‎However, despite these sources, Imran’s whereabouts have not been confirmed. It hasn’t been confirmed as to whether he was killed or not, nor is there any information about a body being recovered.

The familyare reportedly dissatisfied with the activities of the police administration and their movements. They say that, despite the administration’s having so much information technology, why is their child still missing for two and a half months?

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaid Islam Rinku knows - since the incident is in his constituency. In response to a question today, Saltha Police Station OC Bablur Rahman Khan said, "On behalf of the administration, we are working on this case with utmost importance. So far, we have arrested 7 people in this case, some are on bail, and two are now in jail. The main accused in the case, Shamim, is on the run."

-B/HIS