Nine people, including the officer-in-charge of Panchlaish police station and five other policemen were sued for demanding Tk15 lakh from an Awami Leader and threatening to kill him in crossfire.
Mohammad Nurul Absar, ex-assistant secretary of religious affairs of central sub-committee of Awami League, filed the case with the Chattagram Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court on Monday morning.
Mominur Rahman, a counsel of the plaintiff, said Judge Mohammad Akbar Hossain Mridha took cognisance of the case and asked the Director of the Chattagram Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate the incident.
The accused are- Abul Kashem Bhuiyan, former officer-in-charge of the Patenga police station, two sub-inspectors - Pronoy Prakash and Abdul Momin, three assistant sub-inspectors -Tarun Kanti Sharma, Kamruzzman and Mihir, three alleged drug traders-Ilias alias Gavhi Ilias, Jasim and Nurul Huda.
According to the prosecution, sub-inspector Pronoy Prakash made a phone call to plaintiff Nurul Absar, a resident of the Patenga area, and told him to meet him in front of a bakery around 3am on June 1, 2018.
When the Awami League leader went to meet him, SI Abdul Momin and the three ASIs joined them and had breakfast together.
At one stage, the policemen forced him to go to Patenga police station and locked him up. Later, the policemen demanded Tk30 lakh as extortion after branding him a Yaba trader.
They threatened the plaintiff saying that if he fails to pay the money they will put him on 'crossfire'.
Scared, Nurul Absar sent them Tk15 lakh through his cousin and SI Momin and ASI Kamruzzman received the money the following day.
Having failed to realise the rest of the amount, ASI Tarun Kanti filed a case against him on June 3, 2018 under the Special Powers Act and produced him before a court which sent him to jail.
After securing bail on July 29, 2018, Nurul Absar filed a written complaint with the ACC.
Contacted, Abul Kashem Bhuiyan, officer-in-charge of the Panchlaish police station, said Nurul Absar was a listed drug trader and was wanted in many cases.
Denying his allegation, OC Abul Kashem said police arrested him during the countrywide anti-narcotics drive before the national election.