Police AC, 2 ASIs withdrawn over businessman abduction, Tk 1.8m embezzlement
A police assistant commissioner (AC) and two assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs) have been withdrawn from duty following allegations that they abducted a businessman and his friend in Chattogram city and embezzled Tk 1.8 million from them.
Chattogram Metropolitan Police Commissioner Hasan Md Shawkat Ali ordered their withdrawal from duty on Monday.
The withdrawn officers are AC Shariful Alam Chowdhury of the city police’s LIC branch, ASI Bashir Uddin and ASI Md Sufian of the Ration Branch.
The authorities have attached AC Shariful to the city police headquarters, while the two ASIs have been attached to Dampara police lines.
CMP Commissioner Hasan Md Shawkat Ali told Prothom Alo on Monday that they had formed an investigation committee, headed by Deputy Commissioner (PMO) Md Badruzzaman, to investigate the incident.
According to police and people concerned, DB police, identifying themselves as such, picked up businessman Akhtaruzzaman Shakil and his friend Md Mansur from the K-Block area of Halishahar police station on 4 September.
Police had information that Shakil was an agent for online gambling and that his mobile phone contained a substantial amount of cryptocurrency, or Binance dollars.
The allegations state that officers took them to the LIC branch on the ground floor of the CMP office. There, AC Shariful allegedly initially demanded Tk 10 million (1 crore) from them in his office.
Following negotiations, the matter was allegedly settled with 12,500 Binance dollars held on Shakil’s mobile phone and Tk 1 million (10 lakh) in cash.
Shakil alleged that officers initially transferred US$10,500 from his Binance account to another account in three transactions. Later, they converted Tk 600,000 from City Bank into dollars through Binance and took the money.
They also took him to a BRAC Bank ATM booth near Dampara police lines and made him withdraw more money. They allegedly collected another Tk 80,000 through a mobile financial service app.
According to Shakil, the officers released his car on the condition that he would provide another Tk 500,000 the following day. However, AC Shariful retained his 14 mobile phones.
Akhtaruzzaman Shakil told Prothom Alo, “They frightened me by describing playing games as gambling and threatening to implicate me in a case, so I was forced to pay the money. I was even more frightened because the mobile phones contained my personal photos and videos. They demanded an iPhone in exchange for returning the mobile phones. They threatened to circulate the photos and videos on social media if I did not provide one.”
Shakil has a farm and runs a plastic-granule business in Khatunganj. He said he regularly plays games on his mobile phone.
The LIC branch of Chattogram Metropolitan Police operates under strict confidentiality. Its role is to gather intelligence using modern information technology to identify criminals and prevent crime.
The branch, located on the ground floor of the CMP office, has fingerprint-enabled doors, restricting entry to authorised personnel. Officers assigned to the branch also do not normally take part in regular operations.
The city police formed the investigation committee to verify the allegations and examine the roles of the officials concerned.