Cops the captors

Chattogram district police on Sunday arrested six police constables of the Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) on charge of extortion.

The arrestees were allegedly involved in extorting money from a contractor after picking him up from his house at the district's Anwara upazila of on February 4.

However, senior officials of the CMP and Chattogram district police have remained silent over the issue, denying to disclose information in detail to this newspaper.

The matter came to light after the victim lodged a complaint to police on Sunday.

The arrestees are Md Abdul Nabi, Md Eskandar Hossain, Md Monirul Islam, Md Shakil Khan, Md Masud, and Morshed Billah, all attached to the Special Armed Force (SAF) unit of CMP, said police, court and local sources.

Speaking to The Daily Star SM Rashidul Haque, superintendent of Chattogram Police said, "Police arrested six constables in this connection while a case was lodged with Anwara Police Station."

Rashidul, however, refused to disclose further details.

The incident has been already informed to the Police Headquarters, including to the Additional Deputy Inspector General (DIG) (Confidential) section.

Speaking to The Daily Star, local and police sources said, that eight people, including the six constables, on four motorcycles went to the home of contractor Abdul Mannan, 30, around 2:00am of February 4.

According to the case statement, the plainclothes men knocked on the door, calling out Mannan's name.

When the family members opened the door, two of them introduced themselves as Detective Branch (DB) men and detained Mannan. Later Mannan was picked up and taken around 200 feet away from his house. 

After few minutes, he was made to board one of the bikes and was taken to Koigram Rastar Matha area of Vellapara Bridge in Paitya upazila, sources said. They stopped in front of a tea stall, where Mannan was threatened with death for Tk 10 lakhs.

The sources said the eight men forced Mannan to call his relatives to arrange the money and threatened to shoot him if the matter was disclosed to any law enforcing agency.

Mannan phoned his relatives and arranged Tk 1.80 lakh. His relatives handed over the money around 5:00am.

The sources said the men released Mannan after taking the money and fled the scene, adding, the eight had used three unregistered motorbikes and one of the accused was wearing a "DB uniform".

Anwara Police Station's Inspector (Investigation) Sayed Omar Faruk was given charge to investigate the case. After the arrest, the victim identified all six constables, said the sources.

Speaking to The Daily Star CMP Commissioner Saleh Mohammed Tanvir said, "They were temporarily suspended following the incident, while a departmental case will be filed in this regard."

"No one involved in criminal activities will be spared, even they are police. We have tightened our surveillance in the force."

Earlier on December 25 last year, two policemen of Sitakunda Model Police Station were arrested on charge of mugging Tk 2.80 lakh from a driver, after introducing themselves as "members of the Detective Branch" at Sitakunda upazila of Chattogram.