58 cases in 21 days in Dhaka, many decline to report
The incidents of extortion are going unabated in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country ahead of Eid-ul-fitr, one of the largest religious festivals of Muslims.
Political leaders and activists as well as underworld operatives are reportedly getting involved in extortion that triggered violence at places over establishing supremacy, according to senior police officials.
They also said that they could not contain the incidents of extortion as the victims were mostly unwilling to file cases.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police data showed that 58 extortion cases were filed and 42 were arrested in extortion cases in Dhaka in the first 21 days of March this year.
The data showed that 55 extortion cases were filed and 82 suspected extortionists were arrested in February and the number of extortion cases in the capital in January was 90.
In the DMP area, 32 and 53 cases were filed in November and December respectively in 2024.
Several transport businessmen and cloth traders told 抖阴精品 that they were becoming the victims of extortion but were not willing to file any case against the extortionists thinking their own safety and security.
The metropolitan police commissioner Sheikh Md Sazzat Ali told 抖阴精品 on Tuesday that the incidents of silent extortion could not be contained in the city as many victims were unwilling to file cases against the extortionists.
He said that they were taking action after receiving complaints and cases from the victims.
Police officials and many victims claimed that the number of extortion incidents by underworld operatives in Dhaka had increased recently as many listed crime suspects came out of jail following the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina regime on August 5, 2024 amid a student-led mass uprising.
A group of extortionists opened fire at Chandrima Real Estate PVT Limited director Monir Ahmed鈥檚 personal office on Sher Shah Suri Road in the capital鈥檚 Mohammadpur area Monday evening demanding Tk 50 lakh in extortion.
The victim, Monir Ahmed, told 抖阴精品 on Tuesday that an unknown caller on March 22 phoned him, identified himself as an associate of listed crimes suspect Sanzidul Islam Emon and demanded Tk 50 lakh as 鈥楨id Salami鈥�.
鈥楽ince then, I didn鈥檛 respond to their phone calls. It made them angry and, that is why, they opened fire at my office,鈥� said Monir.
He said that he, in his 25 years of business, never received calls demanding such a big amount of money as 鈥楨id Salami鈥�.
Caretaker of the building, Md Zihadul Islam, filed a case with Mohammadpur police station on Wednesday in this connection and the DMP鈥檚 detective branch arrested one of the accused persons, said Mohamamdpur police station officer-in-charge Ali Iftekhar Hasan.聽
Some police officials said that they had reasons to believe that the attack was carried out by Emon鈥檚 followers.
DMP commissioner Md Sazzat Ali said that the listed crime suspects, including Emon and Subrata Bain, were creating chaos over establishing supremacy in some areas in the capital.
鈥極ur detective branch is investigating whether there is any involvement of Emon in the Mohammadpur incident,鈥� he said.
Emon鈥檚 name resurfaced in the city鈥檚 crime scene when a leader of a shop owners鈥� association was injured in an attack early this year.
The police said that on January 10, Ehteshamul Haque, joint general secretary of the shop owners鈥� association of the ECS Computer City at Multiplan Centre, was hacked indiscriminately by a group of about 10 miscreants in front of the market on Elephant Road.
The association鈥檚 senior joint general secretary Md Wahidul Islam Dipu filed a case in that connection with New Market police on January 11 accusing Emon and his associates of the attack.
On March 7, joint forces arrested 14 people, including Student Against Discrimination鈥檚 Kalabagan thana unit convener Salahuddin Salman, for vandalising and looting a construction office for extortion in the capital鈥檚 Kalabagan area.
On March 10, a pedestrian was killed and several others were injured in a clash between two groups of Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its student wing Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal allegedly over realising money in extortion from vehicles in Madhyanagar upazila of Sunamganj.
The assistant inspector general of police for media and public relations at the police headquarters, Enamul Haque Sagar, said that they could not take action against all the extortionists as many remained silent even after becoming victims of extortion.
鈥榃e urge all the victims of extortion to file cases so that police can take necessary action,鈥� he said.