Six sent to jail over Tk10 lakh extortion bid in Mohammadpur

A Dhaka court on Sunday sent six people, including two members of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) and an Ansar member, to jail in a case over the alleged confinement of a businessman at a flat in the capital’s Mohammadpur area and an attempt to extort Tk10 lakh from him.

The accused are DGFI Sergeant Al Mamun, 39, DGFI Lance Corporal Md Nuruzzaman, 31, Md Mukul Gazi, 26, Mahfuzur Rahman, 22, Md Ziaul Islam, 35, and Ansar member Md Sohel Rana, 32.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ashraful Haque passed the order, said sub-inspector Mizan of the prosecution department.

Earlier, investigation officer Md Russell Islam, a sub-inspector at Mohammadpur Police Station, produced the accused before the court and sought an order to send them to jail.

According to the case documents, Sohel Rana was a neighbour of the victim, motorcycle trader Md Sharif, and the two had developed a good relationship.

At around 9:00pm on 24 October, Sohel allegedly took Sharif to a flat on Road 6 in Chandrima Model Town, saying he would be back after going to the washroom. Shortly afterwards, several other people arrived, confined Sharif and allegedly demanded Tk10 lakh, threatening him.

The case documents said Sharif handed over Tk70,000 that he had brought to buy a motorcycle in an attempt to secure his release. However, the accused were allegedly dissatisfied with the amount and beat him, leaving bruises on different parts of his body.

They then demanded more money, prompting Sharif to call family members to arrange the amount, according to the documents.

At around 3:00am on 25 October, the accused allegedly took Sharif downstairs and forced him into a white Toyota Probox private car. They later took him to a location opposite Bangladesh Shishu Hospital in Shyamoli, where he was kept confined inside the vehicle.

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When the accused got out of the car to have tea, Sharif spotted a police vehicle, jumped out and told personnel from Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station what had happened.

Police subsequently detained five people at the scene and took them into custody. They also seized the private car, which was allegedly being driven by Ziaul Islam.

Ansar member Sohel Rana was arrested later, at around 7:00am on 25 October, from the Mohammadpur area.

The case documents said the preliminary investigation had yielded sufficient evidence indicating the accused’s alleged involvement in the incident.

Police said the investigation was ongoing and that the accused needed to remain in jail to ensure a proper investigation.