Rajshahi range SP sued for alleged extortion

Rajshahi Range Superintendent of Police (SP) Belayet Hossain has been sued for alleged extortion.

A businessman named Md Golam Mostofa Ador filed the case against SP Belayet with the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court (CMM) on Wednesday.

After hearing, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Didar Hossain took the case into cognizance.

He then instructed the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to probe the allegations made against the police official and submit a report by November 1.

Besides Belayet, another 15 to 16 unidentified individuals have also been accused in the case.

According to the case statement, about 15 to 16 unknown people, introducing themselves as DB men, led by Belayet Hossain, assaulted businessman Mostafa mercilessly and forcibly took him to Dhaka’s DB and demanded Tk25 lakh as extortion.

“Those men kept me blindfolded and tortured me at the office,” said Md Golam Mostofa Ador.

Around two years ago, the complainant (Mostafa) was introduced to Belayet in the office of former IGP Dr Mohammad Javed Patwary. 

Good relations developed between them. 

Belayet took a loan of Tk5 lakh from the complainant's father Golam Mohammad on August 11, 2019, to have his land registered. 

On March 15, he paid this money back through a cheque.

Then on April 4, 2020, Belayet sent a man to the complainant's father. The man introduced himself as a DB officer. 

Belayet then called the complainant's father and said that his son would be in trouble if he did not pay Tk5 lakh. 

Later, the complainant's father handed over a check of Tk5 lakh to Belayet in a bid to save his son. 

On April 10, his father spoke to the complainant. The duo came to know that Belayet had taken the money through fraudulence, read the case statement.

Then, on August 8, some 15 to 16 unidentified persons entered Ador's house in the capital's Dhanmondi claiming to be DB officials.  

Belayet Hossain was there with them and demanded Tk25 lakh as extortion, threatening to frame Ador in an arms case and impose fines and imprisonment on him by a mobile court, the case statement added.

The case statement also said that when Ador refused to pay the extortion amount, he was beaten and taken to the DB police office in Dhaka.

The accused police officer Belayet said if he did not get Tk25 lakh, he would be put in crossfire or a drug case involving 800 bottles of phensedyl. 

Besides, the accused also threatened to file an arms case against him.

Later, on that day, the complainant's father gave Tk3.5 lakh to Belayet.

On August 10, another Tk50,000 was given to the accused.  

The accused asked him to pay Tk6 lakh within seven days or he would file various cases against Ador, the case statement added.