Two directors of Sikder Group have allegedly tortured and attempted to gun down Exim Bank's Managing Director (MD) Md Haider Ali Mia and Additional MD Md Firoz Hossain after they devalued the price for a property set as collateral for a Tk500 crore loan from the bank.
"How dare you disobey me? I will shoot and cripple you for life,” Ron Haque Sikder, managing director of Sikder Group, allegedly said while holding the two high officials of the bank hostage at gunpoint at their Banani residence, according to the statement of a case filed bank authorities with Gulshan police station over the incident.
Ron also reportedly threatened to “finish” Additional MD Md Firoz Hossain for quoting a lower price than stated for their property as collateral for the bank loan.
“The price of every katha of land is two and a half crore, but why did you say that the price of every bigha of land is two and a half crore, I will finish you," the case statement quoted Ron as saying while threatening Firoz Hossain.
They also tried to gun down the two bank officials but later released them after forcefully taking their signatures on blank papers.
Following the incident on May 7, EXIM Bank Director Lt Col (Retd) Sirajul Islam filed a case against Ron Haque Sikder and his brother Dipu Haque Sikder with Gulshan police station on May 19.
Contacted, Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Gulshan Division Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sujit Kumar Chakrabarty confirmed that the bank authorities had filed the case at Gulshan police station regarding the incident.
“The accused in the case are on run. Police are still investigating the matter and trying to arrest them,” he added.
According to the case statement, Sikder Group had earlier applied for a loan of Tk 500 crore to EXIM Bank.
In this connection, Ron Haque Sikder and National Bank Managing Director Choudhury Moshtaq Ahmed went to the head office of EXIM Bank in Gulshan on May 7 around 11am.
They took the EXIM Bank managing director and additional managing director to visit the Nawab Askari Jute Mills Ltd in Rupganj, which will be used as collateral for the loan from the bank.
Upon visiting the site, the two high officials of the bank quoted a lower value for the collateral than mentioned in the loan documents. Ron Haque Sikder then asked them to visit the “Iconic Tower” site in Purbachal.
However, while on the way to the site, the car carrying the bank officials lost track as the roads inside the project were unfamiliar to them. Later, they set off to return to Dhaka using the 300-foot road.
While returning, they found the car carrying Ron Haque Sikder and National Bank’s MD Chowdhury Mostaq Ahmed, and stopped by the roadside.
Chowdhury Mostaq Ahmed got off from the car and told the bank officials that Ron was infuriated as they did not visit the tower site and forced them to apologize to the Sikdar Group MD, the case statement added.
At one point, Ron Haque Sikder lowered his car window and fired at the Exim Bank MD. The bullet missed Md Haider Ali Mia and went past his left ear.
Then, Ron tried to shoot the bank’s Additional MD Md Firoz Hossain. But, Firoz took shelter behind his car, the case statement added.
Failing to hit them, Ron Haque Sikder’s men reportedly dragged Exim Bank MD into Ron’s car while one of them got into the Additional MD’s car and took him hostage at gunpoint.
The mobile phones of the two bank officials were snatched from them and they were taken to Sikder House in Banani, read the statement.
Upon their arrival, Dipu Haque Sikder, Ron’s brother and a director of Sikder Group, attempted to assault Firoz Hossain. Then, the Exim bank officials were kept hostage under foreign security guards.
Later, they forced the bank officials to sign a blank paper by threatening to have the officials assaulted in a torture cell by foreign security guards, the case statement added.
After that, they were taken before Sikder Group Chairman Zainul Haque to take photographs. At 7:30pm, they were released and their mobile phones were returned to them, the case statement added.
