Desk Report,
He received a check of 2.5 crore taka from a former MP.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DB) has recovered four checks worth Tk 2.25 crore from the rented house of Abdur Razzak bin Solaiman alias Riyad, a former leader of the anti-discrimination student movement, who was arrested for extorting money from the house of former parliamentarian (MP) Shammi Ahmed.
He received a check of 2.5 crore taka from a former MP.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Deputy Commissioner (Media and Public Relations) Muhammad Talebur Rahman announced the recovery of the checks at a press conference at the DMP Media Center on Wednesday. However, he did not say which organization issued the checks.
Police sources said that the Tk 2.25 crore check was taken from the business establishment ‘Trade Zone’ of former Awami League MP Abul Kalam Azad in Rangpur-6 constituency (Pirganj). The Trade Zone has various businesses, including a garment factory.
Trade Zone Manager Saiful Islam told Prothom Alo yesterday that six people, including Abdur Razzak, took 11 checks worth a total of Tk 5 crore, not Tk 2.25 crore. However, they could not withdraw the money even against a single check. Because the trade zone authorities did not deposit the money in the relevant bank accounts. He said that Razzak and others were threatening the owner of the trade zone after they were unable to withdraw the money.
Saiful Islam gave details to Prothom Alo about how Razzak and others took the check.
After taking 10 lakh taka from Shammi Ahmed’s husband Siddique Abu Jafar in the first installment, Abdur Razzak and five others were caught red-handed by the police on July 17 while trying to take the money for the second time. The remaining four are Ibrahim Hossain alias Munna, Sakadaun Siam, Sadman Sadab and a minor. The four adult accused are currently on remand. Siddique Abu Jafar has filed a case in the incident.
Ibrahim Hossain alias Munna was the convener of the Dhaka Metropolitan Branch of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. Abdur Razzak was the joint convener of the combined private university branch of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. Later, he became a member of the central committee of the Democratic Students’ Union. Sakadaun Siam and Sadman Sadab are members of the Dhaka Metropolitan Branch of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. All were expelled after their arrest. All other committees of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, except the central committee, have been suspended.
The DMP press conference was on current affairs. DMP Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Talebur Rahman told reporters that the arrested accused are being interrogated in the case of demanding a ransom of Tk 50 lakh from Shammi Ahmed’s house. Based on the information obtained during the interrogation, four checks worth Tk 2.25 crore were recovered from Abdur Razzak’s rented house in Nakhalpara in the capital. A separate case is being processed at Kalabagan Police Station in this regard.
Talebur Rahman said that it is being investigated whether anyone else besides the arrested accused is involved in the incident.
Police said that of the four checks they recovered, two of them have Tk 1 crore and 2 crore, one has Tk 1.5 lakh and the other has Tk 10 lakh.
Cheque of five crore taka
After receiving information from police sources, the manager of the trade zone, Saiful Islam, was traced. He told Prothom Alo that the owner of their organization is Abul Kalam Azad. Razzak and six others received a cheque of five crore taka from him.
Abul Kalam Azad won the by-election from Rangpur-6 constituency in 2009. In the 9th National Parliament election in 2008, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted in the July mass uprising, won that constituency. She later vacated that seat. Abul Kalam Azad was nominated there from the Awami League.
Stating that Abul Kalam Azad did not contest again, Saiful Islam, the manager of the trade zone, said that he (Abul Kalam Azad) had withdrawn from politics. Because there was no consensus.
Saiful said that their organization recently took the initiative to sell a piece of land. They believe that a person who was an intermediary in the purchase and sale of that land informed Abdur Razzak about this. Six people, including Abdur Razzak, went to the office on Green Road in the Trade Zone on the evening of June 26 and forcibly took everyone’s phones. They claimed that there were about 200 people present under the building.
