Seasonal extortionists are allegedly back in business ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, as businessmen and traders in the capital are receiving phone calls where the callers demand extortion, claiming to be top criminals.
A group of muggers, allegedly backed by some notorious criminals who went into hiding during the massive crackdown by law enforcers, are said to be behind such acts.
The names the callers mention while demanding extortion include Shahid Shahadat, Jishan, Subrata and Bikash, said intelligence sources.
Police have recently received written complaints about such threatening calls made to a number of businesspeople in Gendaria, demanding money from them and a probe into this is currently underway.
The detective branch of police has learnt that the calls to the Gendaria businessmen were made from fake SIM cards with no valid addresses. The callers are even using different phones to make the calls so that police are unable to trace the IMEI numbers.
Jahangir Hossain Matubbor, deputy commissioner (East) of DB police, told the Dhaka Tribune they had found the numbers unreachable.
“In such cases, we are asking the operators to suspend the connections of the SIM cards,” he said.
Jahangir said they had already arrested several extortionists and no one committing any crime would be spared.
On Sunday, a tailor shop owner received an anonymous call and the caller identified himself as the accomplice of Dakat Shahid. He demanded Tk1,000,000 as Eid bonus.
Sources say in most cases, victims do not lodge complaints with police as they fear the criminals will somehow find out about it. Fearing for their lives, they send the money through bKash and other mobile banking services.
Requesting anonymity, a businessman in Mirpur said he received a call a couple of weeks earlier and the caller demanded Tk200,000.
“My wife was scared and sent the money through bKash,” he said.
Besides using the names of criminals, ruling party men, including Chhatra League and Jubo League activists, have been said to be involved in demanding extortion from people. On June 27, miscreants shot a person named Alam near Banasree police outpost for not giving the money they demanded from him.
Alam’s cousin Sahed said his brother worked as a caretaker of a half-built building and was shot because he did not pay the money miscreants had asked for.
“They also threatened my brother, saying that he would lose his life if the money was not paid soon,” Sahed added.
Alamgir Hossain, officer-in-charge of Rampura police station, told the Dhaka Tribune some ruling party men were likely involved in the act but nothing can be said for certain without completing the probe.
Allegations of extortion were raised against criminals and law enforcers alike. Salman Shikdar Biki and Masudur Rahman, both traders by profession, claimed that Jessore police had shot them when they refused to pay the Tk1,000,000 demanded from them.
According to sources, Muktar and Mohosin, identifying themselves as Shahadat’s abettors, demand extortion in Old Dhaka. In Mohammadpur, Emon, Mamun and Arif demand extortion. Faruk, Niamat, Mashua and Aynal do it in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Shibu and Labu in Keraniganj, Kawsar, Shahadat and Masud in Shyampur, and Solaiman and Uzzal in Basabo and Mugda.
ATM Habibur Rahman, director of media and legal wing of RAB, told the Dhaka Tribune: “Demanding extortion is not a new phenomenon but rather an old practice of criminals. They just try to change their strategy to commit the crime.”
“Many criminals use fake photographs and wrong addresses while registering SIM cards. They use the numbers to perpetrate crimes,” he said.
“Intelligence officials and law enforcers, including RAB, are trying to nab the criminals as always,” added Habibur.
