Hawkers alleged that police have been extorting money from them in the capital’s Uttara area, and in the event they refuse to pay, the police damage their shops and snatch away their goods and belongings.
They complained that police personnel at the newly established Uttara-West police station were forcing the vendors to pay them money.
A group of youth collect extortion money from the vendors every evening and hand over the collections to the police at the Uttara-West police station.
Hasmat Ali, a hawker in the area, said: “I gave Tk140 to the man the police sent to collect money on Tuesday evening.”
Hasmat added that he earned around Tk400 in a day, but police have been taking away a quarter of his earnings regularly.
Like Hasmat, two other vendors Sumon and Sajib who sell clothes through mobile vans have been paying extortion money to the police.
Sumon said: “On Tuesday, I gave Tk100 as extortion money.”
Sajib said police have been taking a portion of his earnings every day, but he had no option but to pay, and he could not relocate his business to any other place.
A food vendor Manik Mia said small-time vendors like him have to pay from Tk10 to Tk30.
He added that police collect money from their men around 9pm.
Khandaker Rezaul Hasan, officer- in-charge of Uttara-West police station, denied all allegations against them.
Rezaul Hasan said: The hawkers are angry with the police, as law enforcers have evicted all vendors from Jasim Uddin to House Building area since the opening of the new police station.
