Six arrested including 2 DGFI members over abduction allegations
Representational image. Agamir Somoy.
Police have arrested six people on charges of attempting to extort money by holding a businessman hostage and abducting him in the capital's Mohammadpur. Among them are two members of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) and one Ansar member.
The six were arrested from the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area on Saturday night. After the arrest, police of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station handed them over to Mohammadpur Police Station. Later, when they were produced in court, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ashraful Haque ordered them sent to jail. SI Mizanur Rahman of the prosecution team confirmed this information.
The arrested persons are Sergeant Al Mamun (39) of the DGFI headquarters, Lance Corporal Nuruzzaman (31) of the same agency, Ansar member Sohel Rana (32), and private company security guard Mukul Gazi (26).
The other two are Mahfuzur Rahman (22) of Kalmakanda Upazila in Netrokona and Ziaul Islam (35) of Kaliganj Police Station in Lalmonirhat. Two others named Sonia (30) and Fanirul alias Monirul (45) have also been made accused in the case.
Earlier, the investigating officer of the case produced the accused before a court and applied to keep them in jail in the interest of smooth investigation. The application said that preliminary investigation found sufficient information and evidence that the arrested persons were involved in the incident of the case. The investigation of the case is ongoing. In the interest of a proper investigation, it is absolutely necessary to keep the six arrested in jail. No lawyer was present on behalf of the accused during the hearing.
However, no official of Mohammadpur Police Station wanted to give any formal statement on the matter. However, several people working at the station described the case statement on condition of anonymity.
Police said the case was filed by motorcycle trader Md. Sharif of Shyamoli area.
The case statement said that due to living next door, he developed a close relationship with Ansar member Sohel Rana. Later, on Saturday, Sohel Rana took him to a house in Chandrima Model Town.
The complainant claimed in the case statement that he went there to buy a motorcycle. A woman named Sonia was there, whom Ansar member Sohel introduced as his sister. Then Sohel left the room saying he was going to the bathroom. After a while, the other accused in the case came to the spot, beat him up, and demanded 10 lakh taka.
The complainant said he gave the accused 70,000 taka on the spot. When they were not satisfied with this, they beat him further. He called his family and tried to collect money. He was confined in that house.
The complainant claimed that around 3 am, the accused brought him down from the house and put him in a Toyota car. The accused parked the car opposite of Shishu Hospital in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar and got out to drink tea. At that time, the complainant saw a police car, ran to it, and sought help from the police. The car belonged to a patrol team of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station. The patrol police immediately arrested the six.
Police said that after the arrest, complications arose over the two DGFI members. Later, officials from the Army Headquarters came to the police station and verified the matter. After that, they were shown as arrested in the case and sent to court.
Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station OC Monirul Islam confirmed the incident. He said, "Our checkpoint was operating near Shishu Hospital. At that time, when the businessman sought our help, police questioned them and confirmed the abduction. Later, they were arrested and handed over to Mohammadpur Police Station along with the car."
