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olice detectives have arrested Jaane Alam Apu aka Kazi Gaurab Apu for extorting Tk 5 million in Dhaka’s Gulshan while claiming to be a convenor for Students Against Discrimination (SAD).
Apu, a joint convenor for the Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad, used both names and had been absconding since the incident, said Talebur Rahman, deputy commissioner (media) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
“He was arrested in the capital’s Wari,” he said.
“Additional details on his arrest will be provided in a press conference in the afternoon.”
Police had previously arrested five people on Saturday evening in connection with the extortion of the family of former reserved women’s seat MP Shammi Ahmed in Gulshan-2.
Four of the arrestees are Abdur Razzak bin Sulaiman Riyad, 25, Md Sakadaun Siam, 22, Sadman Sadab, 21, and Ibrahim Hossain, 24. The fifth arrestee has not been named as they are a minor.
A court remanded four of them to police custody for questioning for five days.
Since the incident, SAD Dhaka Metropolitan unit Convenor Ibrahim and members Siam and Sadab have been permanently expelled from the organisation for violating its policies and breach of discipline.
SAD also suspended the activities of all committees across the country aside from its central committee.
Based on information obtained from questioning expelled Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad leader Riyad, cheques amounting to Tk 22.5 million were recovered from his house, DMP spokesman Talebur said.
The cheques, issued by a company called Trade Zone, include two for Tk 10 million each, and one each for Tk 1.5 million and Tk 1 million, he added.
The Trade Zone office is based in Kalabagan and reportedly linked to former Rangpur MP Abul Kalam Azad.
Police said Riyad coerced the company into handing over the cheques. Officials said Riyad had admitted he received Tk 500,000 from the Tk 1 million extorted from Shammi’s residence, with the remainder split among others in the group.
Gulshan police say they have recovered nearly Tk 300,000 from a rented flat in Badda belonging to Riyad.
Hafizur Rahman, chief of Gulshan Police Station, said it was part of the Tk 1 million “donation” taken from the Shammi’s home.
He said, “During his questioning under remand on Wednesday night, he admitted that he has a rented house in Badda. Then, in the morning, we went there and recovered Tk 298,000.”
Police had previously reported that Apu, the second listed suspect in the Gulshan Police Station case, was absconding. His arrest was announced on Friday,
Riyad, who was arrested on Saturday, had been living in one room of a three-bedroom flat shared with several others.
Police described his room as lavishly furnished.
Law enforcers uncovered the second house belonging to Riyad during questioning after they failed to find the expensive clothes he was known for wearing.
Citing details from the questioning, OC Hafizur said that Riyad had received Tk 500,000 as his share of the “donation” from the former parliamentarian’s house while Apu and the others took the remaining Tk 500,000.
Hafizur said that after the fall of the Awami League government, Riyad and Apu formed a group and used to extort money from various people. They would seize land and extort money by threatening mob violence and it “became their profession”.