Police members arrested for holding people to ransom

All three police officials – Hasan Al Banna, Nasidul Islam and Belal Hossain – were suspended temporarily a year ago for their alleged involvement in robbery and taking ransom by abducting people and hold them hostage at police vehicle.

They are also accused in cases over these allegations at Shahjahanpur and Jatrabari police stations in Dhaka.

This time, police have arrested them while taking Tk 100,000 extortion from a man labeling him a drug addict. The accused – constables at reserve and welfare force in Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) – used to live in the barrack of reserve and welfare force in Rajarbagh police lines.

According to the Mugda police, they were arrested on Saturday from a residence at North Maniknagar area in Mugda after receiving a call in 999. A case was filed by Iti Akhter Safiya, a housewife, over the incident on Sunday.

Later, the court sent them to prison.

Iti alleged the arrestees came to their home around 8:00pm and looked for her husband, Shahidul Islam. They introduced them as police members and her husband a drug addict. They tried to take him to the police station.

The arrestees then said Shahidul would be taken away unless they are paid Tk 100,000. At one stage, they created pressure to settle it at Tk 50,000, she claimed.

According the case statement, Shahidul’s nephew Touhidul Islam Emon asked the police members which police station they came from. As they denied revealing their identity, Emon became suspicious and went outside to call 999 informing about the incident.

About eight to 10 minutes later, forces from Mugda police station led by assistant sub-inspector (SI) Shamim Akter Hossain detained those three and took them to the police station.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Mugda police station officer-in-charge (OC) Jamal Uddin said the track records of three arrestees are not good.

Of them, Banna faces charges in a robbery attempt case in Jatrabari police stations while Nasidul and Belal are accused in cases over the allegation of taking ransom by holding the victims hostage at vehicle. Departmental case is underway against them over these allegations, he added.

Police said two cases were filed against Nasidul and Belal in August last year at Shahjanpur police station on allegation of taking ransom by holding the victims hostage at vehicle.

Then Shahjanpur police station sub-inspector (SI) Abul Ansar investigated these two cases and he is now posted at Mugda police station.

Speaking to Porthom Alo, SI Abul Ansar said, Nasidul, Belal and three others were accused in the cases filed over that incident.

One of the three is a police member and the remaining two are known to Nasidul and Belal. They took ransom by holding people hostage in vehicles and one of the victims paid them Tk 35,000.

According to sources at DMP’s reserve and welfare force, these three are still members of police though they are suspended and all of them stay at the Rajarbag police lines’ barrack.

Members of police staying at Rajarbag police lines’ barrack are not allowed to go outside after 7:00pm and anyone remaining absent is caught while checking attendance. Absence of these three was noticed during Saturday’s attendance checking and Mugda police station informed about their arrest at night.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, DMP’s media wing deputy commissioner Faruk Hossain said probe will be on in the departmental case against three members of police arrested in Mugda police station in addition to the investigation into criminal offense. If the allegation is found to be true, they may be sacked from their jobs, he added.