A case has been filed against former member of parliament (MP) for Bagerhat-1 Sheikh Helal Uddin, his son and former MP for Bagerhat-2 Sheikh Tonmoy, and three others for allegedly demanding Tk200 crore in extortion, of which Tk20 crore was reportedly paid.
The case was filed on Monday at Bagerhat Sadar model police station by Abdul Mannan, managing director of New Bashundhara Real Estate in Bagerhat, confirmed Officer-in-Charge Mahmud-ul-Hasan.
Besides Sheikh Helal, cousin of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, and his son Sheikh Tonmoy, the other accused are Helal’s personal assistant Firozul Islam, Tonmoy’s personal assistant Shaheen, and Sheikh Shahidul Islam, the OC added.
Quoting the case statement, OC Mahmud said that on the night of November 15, 2018, Sheikh Helal Uddin, Sheikh Tonmoy, and three others went to Abdul Mannan's office in the Sarui area of the city and demanded Tk200 crore in extortion.
The accused allegedly threatened to shut down his business, implicate him in false cases, and even kill him if the money was not paid. To protect his business, Abdul Mannan claims he immediately handed over Tk7.3 crore from client deposits, the OC said.
The accused left after demanding the remaining amount be paid soon, he added.
The OC further said that on January 3, 2019, the accused again visited Abdul Mannan's office and threatened him to pay the rest. In response, he gave them an additional Tk12.7 crore.
According to the complaint, the accused extorted a total of Tk20 crore in two phases through intimidation.
Among the named accused, the third, Shahidul Islam, 37, has been arrested and sent to jail via court order, the OC said.
