Image caption Farhad Mazhar is often critical of the government

A well-known Bangladeshi human rights activist has been found on a bus after his family reported him missing.

Columnist and government critic Farhad Mazhar sparked a police hunt after leaving his Dhaka home on Monday morning.

There were reports of a ransom demand.

Police said Mr Mazhar, 69, was eventually found on a bus travelling to the capital from the south-western city of Khulna. It is unclear if he had been abducted.

Human rights groups say enforced disappearances and abductions are rising in Bangladesh.

Mr Mazhar is a supporter of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Party officials say many of their activists and supporters have been detained illegally since 2014.