The investigation officer (IO) of Jamal abduction case, the Detective Branch (DB) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Inspector Yusuf Ali, has been seeking an appointment with the mayor to get information about Jamal for past two days following an instruction from the higher authorities, DB sources said.

The IO went to the mayor's office on Sunday, but the mayor was not in office due to illness, the sources added.

Assistant Commissioner of the DB Shafique Uddin said, "We are trying to collect information from the mayor as he recently made a public statement that Jamal's body was burnt in a brick-kiln after he was killed."

"We want to verify the mayor's statement about the fate of Jamal. It will be helpful for us to take a line of investigation in this regard and that is why we want to talk to the mayor. We now want to meet the mayor for this purpose," the assistant commissioner added.

Meanwhile, the drive to rescue Jamal has almost fizzled out although some raids were conducted a week back after his family members met the prime minister and home minister, sources said.

Police officials said the source network could not be re-established to collect information about the abductee.

Jamal's wife Nazma Chowdhury said, "We have received information from political channel that my husband is alive." "But we have not been informed about the whereabouts of my husband," she added.