A sub-inspector of the Rajshahi district Detective Branch of police reportedly extorted Tk 2.46 lakh from a man threatening to accuse him in a false drug case at Durgapur upazila in Rajshahi.
The victim, Murad Hossain, 29, son of Saheb Ali of Tahirpur village, made the allegation against DB SI Abdur Rahim at a press conference at Rajshahi Press Club on Wednesday noon.
Murad, an NGO worker, alleged that Abdur Rahim and five others in plainclothes, identifying themselves as members of the DB police, first searched him while he was drinking coffee at Biyanbari Coffee House and Restaurant at Mohanganj Bazar on July 28 afternoon.
鈥榃hen they did not get anything except Tk 44,000 of the NGO I work for, they forcibly picked me up on a motorcycle from the restaurant and took me to the bank of a pond four kilometres away,鈥� he said.
Murad said that Abdur Rahim then demanded Tk 6 lakh from him, threatening that he would accuse him in a false drug case otherwise.
鈥楤eing afraid, I contacted my father over the phone who managed Tk 2.02 lakh and rescued me with the money,鈥� he said, adding that they also snatched his two mobile phones.
The NGO worker said that following the incident, he lodged a written complaint with the superintendent of Rajshahi district police on August 18 in this regard.
鈥楢fter I lodged the complaint, Abdur Rahim, with the help of Rajshahi district Juba Dal joint convener Sabbir Hossain Mukut, arranged a meeting to compromise with us at Rajshahi district Bangladesh Nationalist Party convener Abu Sayeed Chad鈥檚 house where he took time for returning the money,鈥� he said.
Murad said that after getting no information, he contacted Abdur Rahim several days later who then informed him that the issue would be solved in the presence of superintendent of Rajshahi district police.
As none from the district police contacted Murad, he then lodged another written complaint with the superintendent of Rajshahi district police on September 15 but to no avail.
Contacted, Juba Dal leader Sabbir Hossain Mukut confirmed the meeting about the matter at Rajshahi district BNP convener Abu Sayeed Chad鈥檚 house.
SI Abdur Rahim said that everything would be clear after the investigation under way against him was completed.
Farzana Islam, superintendent of Rajshahi district police, said that they would take necessary actions as recommended by the probe body.
