Caller allegedly demands a settlement by today as police verify recording.
TBS Report
24 October, 2026, 07:25 pm
Last modified: 24 October, 2026, 08:09 pm
The complainant in a case over an attack, vandalism and looting at AJR Courier Service's office and warehouse in Dhaka's Hazaribagh has allegedly received death threats over the phone, with the caller demanding "a settlement" over the company's refusal to pay rent to wanted criminal Sanjidul Islam Emon's associates instead of the landowner, Shikder Group.
Afsar Uddin, the company's manager who filed the case, received the call around 11pm on Friday, according to an audio recording of the conversation shared with journalists.
In the recording, an unidentified caller threatens Afsar over filing the case and asks, "Who would file a case over his (murder)?" The caller then hurls verbal abuse at him and demands that he arrange a settlement by today.
"If arrangements are not made to contact (us) by tomorrow (today), (your) body will be lying there," the caller says, challenging Afsar to call anyone who could save him.
The caller also claims to know where Afsar lives, including his neighbourhood and the floor of his residence. When Afsar says he is not the company's owner, the caller questions why he filed the case, repeats the threat and ends the call.
Hazaribagh police station Officer-in-Charge Mosharraf Hossain said police had spoken to Afsar after receiving the audio recording and were verifying its authenticity. Afsar could not be reached for comment, as his phone was switched off.
The threat follows an attack on AJR Courier Service's office and warehouse in Hazaribagh at around 6:30pm on Tuesday. Company officials alleged that the attackers identified themselves as men working for Emon and demanded that the company pay him rent for the land from then on.
The attackers vandalised the premises and took away goods worth several lakh taka, along with CCTV cameras, the officials alleged.
Land dispute turns threatening as Emon's name emerges
Company officials said they had rented the land from Shikder Group under an agreement nearly two years ago. They have since faced threats demanding that they redirect the rent to Emon, they added.
Emon has been linked to several high-profile killings, including the 1998 murder of actor Sohel Chowdhury and the 2004 killing of Dhaka ward commissioner Saeed Ahmed Tipu, in which he was a key accused.
After serving 17 years in prison, Emon secured release on bail following the political changeover on 5 August 2024. He remains a fugitive.
Authorities have since launched operations to bring him back into custody. He has also been named as a prime suspect in high-profile extortion cases and recent gangland violence, including the daylight attack on Elephant Road and the subsequent fatal shootings of underworld rivals Tariq Saif Mamun and Khandokar Noyeem Ahmed Titon.