Despite 24 hours passing since a case was filed, police have yet to arrest a former Jubo Dal leader, Mushfiqur Rahman Fahim, accused of extortion, obstruction of bus services, and attacks on drivers on the Dhaka–Shariatpur route after allegedly failing to collect Tk5 crore in extortion.
Confirming the development to Dhaka Tribune on Sunday evening, Jatrabari police station Officer-in-Charge Kamruzzaman told Dhaka Tribune that the case was filed on Saturday afternoon by Waliullah Khan, a member of the Shariatpur–Dhaka route bus drivers’ association and owner of a damaged bus.
When asked why the accused has not yet been apprehended, the OC responded: "The accused is absconding, which is why arrest has not been possible. We are continuing our efforts to capture him."
On Saturday, Jubo Dal, the youth wing of the BNP, expelled Fahim, vice-president of its Jatrabari thana unit in south Dhaka , over allegations of extortion and illegal occupation.
The announcement was made in a press release signed by Jubo Dal Assistant Office Secretary Minhazul Islam Bhuiyan. The release also called on law enforcement agencies to take strict action against Fahim.
According to sources from the Shariatpur Super Service, around 70 buses operate daily on the Dhaka–Shariatpur route. Since August 5, each bus had been forced to pay Tk450 to Tk500 in extortion, amounting to approximately Tk8 lakh per month, allegedly collected by Fahim.
However, over the past month, Fahim reportedly demanded Tk10 lakh for the 70 buses and requested number plates for 20 additional vehicles.
When these demands were not met, he allegedly insisted on a one-time extortion payment of Tk5 crore.
He also set the condition that, failing payment, two of his own buses would be included in the Shariatpur Super Service fleet.
Following these incidents, the Shariatpur bus owners’ association and the workers’ union filed complaints with the army and local police.
Despite this, for six days, Fahim’s associates had been vandalizing buses and assaulting drivers whenever vehicles from the route arrived in Jatrabari.
It has also been reported that 15 to 20 complaints against Fahim have already been submitted to RAB and the police.
Tara Mia Molla, supervisor of the Shariatpur–Jatrabari Shariatpur Super Service, told Dhaka Tribune that previously, they used to pay extortion money to local Awami League members. "However, after August 5, Fahim took over."
“In the first few months, we paid between Tk10,000 and Tk30,000, but recently he began demanding Tk10 lakh per month,” he added.
Tara Mia also said: “Several meetings were held with the district bus owners' association regarding the matter, and he proposed including a few of his own buses. However, Shariatpur Super Service disagreed on the issue. Over the past week, Fahim and his associates did not allow any buses to remain in Jatrabari.”
He further added: “They vandalized buses and attacked the drivers. On Saturday, we also held a human chain protest on the Shariatpur side of the Padma Bridge regarding the issue and submitted our complaints.”
Tara Mia also said that the situation has improved significantly since Fahim was expelled from the party. "Operations have already started returning to normal from Sunday," he added.
Faruk Chowkidar, president of the Shariatpur bus workers’ union, told Dhaka Tribune that in just three days, 25 buses on the route were vandalized and 10 to 12 transport workers were injured in attacks.
“For the past month, Fahim was extorting money by exploiting his party affiliation, which had become unbearable. During the previous government’s tenure, we paid Tk150 per vehicle in extortion, but what Fahim was doing was outright oppression. We are pleased he has been expelled from the party. Buses resumed operations from dawn today,” he added.
Musfiqur Rahman Fahim is the key accused in the August 16, 2022 murder case of Awami League leader Abu Bakkar Siddique and has been previously sent to jail in the case.
More recently, he has faced allegations of extortion and illegal occupation in the Jatrabari area.