A Dhaka court has sent six people, including two members of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), to jail in a case over allegedly confining a businessman and demanding Tk10 lakh in extortion in the capital's Mohammadpur.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ashraful Haque passed the order yesterday (25 October) following an application by the investigation officer seeking their detention in the interest of the investigation.
The accused are Sergeant Al Mamun, 39, Lance Corporal Md Nuruzzaman, 31, Md Mukul Gazi, 26, Mahfuzur Rahman, 22, Md Ziaul Islam, 35, and Ansar member Md Sohel Rana, 32.
Sergeant Al Mamun and Lance Corporal Nuruzzaman are posted at DGFI headquarters, while Sohel Rana is an Ansar member, said Mizanur Rahman, a sub-inspector of the prosecution division.
The investigation officer produced the six accused before the court and sought an order to keep them in jail, saying the preliminary investigation had found evidence of their alleged involvement and that their detention was necessary for a proper investigation.
No lawyer represented the accused during the hearing.
According to the case statement, Sohel Rana, a neighbour of the victim, had developed a good relationship with the businessman. At around 9pm on 24 October, Sohel took him to a flat on the sixth floor of a building in Chandrima Model Town, Mohammadpur, on the pretext of buying a motorcycle.
Sohel then left the room, saying he was going to the washroom. Shortly afterwards, several other people arrived, allegedly confined the businessman, threatened him and demanded Tk10 lakh.
The complainant said he handed over Tk70,000 that he had brought to buy the motorcycle in an attempt to secure his release. The accused were allegedly dissatisfied with the amount, beat him and demanded the Tk10 lakh again, leaving bruises and swelling on different parts of his body.
The businessman later called family members to try to arrange the money.
At around 3am on 25 October, several of the accused allegedly took him downstairs, put him in a white Toyota Probox and drove him to a location opposite Bangladesh Shishu Hospital in Shyamoli, where they kept him confined inside the vehicle.
When the accused got out to have tea, the businessman spotted a police vehicle, escaped and informed Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police of the incident.
Police detained five people at the scene and informed Mohammadpur police, whose officers subsequently took the detainees into custody. They also seized the private car allegedly driven by accused Ziaul Islam.
Later, around 7am on 25 October, police arrested Sohel Rana in front of Allah Karim Mosque in Mohammadpur.