The details about the Natore priest's disappearance and subsequent recovery still remain a mystery, with police on Saturday divulging an interesting piece of information.
According to Natore police, Walter William Rozario, assistant priest of a Catholic Church in Natore’s Boraigram upazila, voluntarily went to Dakshin Surma upazila of Sylhet.
Natore Superintendent of Police (SP) Bijoy Talukder said the clergyman had even called his family from the ticket counter of Hanif Paribahan, a bus company, around 4pm on Friday.
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The SP made the comments in a press briefing at his office on Saturday evening.
“Tracking down the call records, we reported his location to Sylhet police who took him into custody” he said.
Early on Saturday, he was sent to the police headquarters in Dhaka around 12 midnight as ordered by the inspector general of police.
Walter, 40, was finally brought back to Natore on Saturday afternoon. He will be produced before a Natore court on Sunday.
The Natore SP added that the priest confirmed to them that he had not been abducted.
“Rather, he left Natore while riding his motorbike willingly, and headed for Sylhet out of depression,” the police official said.
Walter spent a night each in Tangail, Habiganj, Sunamganj and Sylhet, he added.
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SP Bijoy said the motorbike was discovered abandoned at a hotel in Habiganj. His cell phone was also recovered, but the SIM card was missing.
The SP further said that video footage at a toll both on Bangabandhu Multipurpose Bridge confirmed that Walter was by himself and travelling on his motorbike.
Police also did not find any evidence supporting claims that he had been abducted.
Natore's Additional SP Abul Hasnat and Officer-in-Charge Abdul Hye of the district's Detective Branch of police, were present during the briefing, among others.
On Wednesday, Walter’s elder brother Premal Rozario said some miscreants demanded Tk3 lakh as ransom from them.
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The demand was made through an internet call to the priest’s younger brother, Bimal Rozario, the previous night, he had then told the newspaper.
“The caller also provided a bKash account number to send the ransom,” Premal added.
Walter had been scheduled to show up at his workplace, Jonail Catholic Church, around 5pm on Monday after leaving his residence at Bonpara Christian Pall in Natorei, but became unaccounted for until Sylhet police found him in the district.
Father Subroto Purification, head priest of the church, filed a general diary regarding the matter with Boraigram police station on Tuesday.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
