BAGCHAS leader arrested over Gulshan extortion

Jane Alam Apu, joint convener of the Bangladesh Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad (BAGCHAS), has been arrested by the Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) in a case filed over an alleged demand of Tk 50 lakh in extortion from the house of a former MP in Gulshan, Dhaka.

He was arrested from the capital’s Wari area on Friday (August 1), DMP Deputy Commissioner (DC) Muhammad Talebur Rahman confirmed to Jago News.

Earlier, Gulshan police arrested several others in connection with the same extortion case, including former leader of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, Abdur Razzak bin Sulaiman alias Riyad, along with Ibrahim Hossain alias Munna, Sakadaun Siam, Sadman Sadab, and a minor. Four adult suspects are currently on remand.

At a DMP briefing on Wednesday, DC Muhammad Talebur Rahman said the arrestees were interrogated over their alleged attempt to extort Tk 50 lakh from the house of a former Member of Parliament (MP) in Gulshan. Based on their statements, four cheques worth a total of Tk 2.25 crore were recovered from a rented flat in Nakhla Para belonging to Riyad.

Riyad was a member of the central committee of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. He has been permanently expelled from the organisation over his involvement in the extortion incident.

Meanwhile, early Thursday, Gulshan police raided Riyad’s rented mess in Badda and recovered Tk 2.98 lakh in cash.