Following the Tk50 lakh extortion case filed with Gulshan police, a Dhaka court has placed four expelled student leaders on four-day remand each in another case over an alleged Tk5 crore extortion demand from a businessman in Tejgaon.
The accused are Abdur Razzak Riad, expelled central committee member of the Democratic Students’ Union; Ibrahim Hossain Munna, Dhaka city coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement; and members Md Sakadaun Siam and Sadman Sadab.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Saraha Farzana Haque passed the order on Wednesday after Tejgaon police station Sub-Inspector Nazmul Jannat Shah, the investigation officer, produced the accused before the court seeking a seven-day remand each.
Defence lawyers sought bail and cancellation of the remand petition, while state lawyers argued in favour. After hearing both sides, the court granted four days’ remand for each accused.
According to the case statement, on June 26, the accused went to the garment factory Vikun Villa, owned by Knit Zone Pvt Ltd proprietor Abul Kalam Azad, identifying themselves as coordinators, and demanded Tk5 crore in extortion.
When the businessman refused, they allegedly threatened to have him arrested and unleash a mob to cause damage.
They then forcibly took several signed cheques from his Janata Bank account and pressured him to deposit money into the account. The case was later filed with the Tejgaon police station on August 1.
Earlier, on the night of July 26, Riad and others were arrested over another Tk50 lakh extortion attempt at the Gulshan residence of former reserved seat lawmaker Shammi Ahmed. In that case, Riad gave a confessional statement in court, while the others remain in jail.
