Extortion

Eight Rajshahi cops on 3-day remand

23 August 2011, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent, Rajshahi

An assistant commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) and seven other policemen were placed on a three-day remand each yesterday in connection with an extortion case. The eight policemen would be taken to Rajpara Police Station for interrogation yesterday evening, said Mokarram Hossain, officer-in-charge of the police station and investigator of the case. The policemen are AC Tawfiqul Islam, sub-inspectors Masud Rana and Matiar Rahman, and constables Atiqur Rahman, Golam Mortuza, Sujan, and Islam Ali, and driver Akter Hossain of Rajpara Police Station. On August 17, AC Tawfiq led a group of 7-8 policemen to Laxmipur area of Rajshahi city and raided the house of Dr AR Basunia without any warrant. The police team also realised Tk 1 lakh from the doctor. The following day, Basunia lodged a complaint with RMP commissioner, saying the policemen extorted Tk 1 lakh from him. On August 22, Rajpara police recorded the complaint as an extortion case, following a probe that found truth in the allegations of Dr Basunia. M Sulaiman Ali, RMP court inspector, said the accused policemen were sent to jail after being produced before the third metropolitan magistrate's court of Rajshahi yesterday. Magistrate FM Mesbaul Haque granted three days against a remand prayer of seven days, he said, adding that the court also rejected the bail prayers of the suspended policemen. AC Tawfiq, while being taken to the court, shouted at journalists, saying he was not involved in the extortion incident. "It (the extortion case) is fabricated and baseless. I am innocent", he said and mentioned some names including a BNP leader blaming them for conspiring against him. He, however, did not reply to the question why anyone would conspire against him. The AC said the conspirators might have links with some of the police officials.