The incident occurred on Monday (July 27) night in the Umirpur area of Ishwardi municipality in Pabna. They were produced in court on Tuesday (July 28) afternoon.
The detained couple are Rayhan Sheikh (25), son of late Yunus Sheikh from the Shahid Aminpara area of Ishwardi municipality, and his wife Sumaiya Khatun (18).
The couple claimed that around 1:30 a.m. on Monday night, they went out in their pickup truck as per Sumaiya's wish. After roaming various areas for about an hour, they reached Umirpur area where the vehicle broke down due to mechanical failure. They were trying to repair the vehicle there.
At that time, local resident Fazal Malitha saw them and suspected them of being cattle thieves. Later, he called a few others and held the couple for about two hours. Rayhan alleged that some locals also beat him during this time.
Later, around 4 a.m., receiving information, members of Ishwardi Ambagan police outpost went to the spot and rescued the couple, taking them to the police station.
Afzal Hossain, in charge of Ambagan police outpost, said that police went to the spot after receiving news of the detention on suspicion of cattle theft from locals. During interrogation, it was confirmed that they were not cattle thieves.
He said that however, as they could not provide a satisfactory reason for being in that area at midnight, they were shown as arrested and sent to court. The used pickup truck was also seized.
He further said that Rayhan Sheikh, injured by beatings from some locals, was given primary treatment at Ishwardi Upazila Health Complex. So far, no party has filed a written complaint in this incident. If a complaint is received, an investigation will be conducted and necessary legal action will be taken.
