A court has sent five people, including a National Citizen Party (NCP) leader who was arrested while extorting money from a hospital in Mohammadpur, to jail.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Atiqur Rahman passed the order on Monday. The accused sent to jail are Joint Coordinator of Mohammadpur Thana under Dhaka Metropolitan National Citizen’s Party (NCP) Abdur Rahman Manik, former Convener of Mohammadpur Thana of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement Saiful Islam Rabbi (28), Habibur Rahman Farhad, Mohammad Abu Sufian, and Md Shahin Hossain.
Sub-Inspector Mizanur Rahman of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Prosecution Department confirmed the matter, stating that the five were produced in court on Monday. Subsequently, the investigating officer of the case, Sub-Inspector Md Nazmul Islam of Mohammadpur Police Station, sought a 7-day remand for the accused. The court ordered them to be sent to jail and set tomorrow for the remand hearing.
Regarding the extortion incident, Shilpi Akhtar, the owner of Safe Hospital and Diagnostic Center, filed this case at Mohammadpur Police Station on Monday.
The case statement alleges that on 20 September at around 12:30am, accused Md Shahin came to Safe Hospital in Mohammadpur and, citing his pregnant wife’s critical condition, requested the hospital authorities to perform the delivery. The authorities asked him to go to another hospital. But he pleaded, asking them to arrange the delivery for his wife by any means possible.
The hospital authorities then collected his signatures on all necessary documents and began the delivery procedure. While the delivery treatment was ongoing, a stillborn male child was delivered via normal delivery. Allegedly, because the baby died, he demanded payment of Tk3 lakh from Md Abu Saeed, the son of the hospital owner, on 22 September 22 at 2:00 PM, in exchange for not filing a case.
When Saeed refused to pay, the accused vandalised hospital machines and CCTV cameras, causing damage worth Tk1.5 lakh. At one point, the accused took Saeed away and threatened to kill him. Fearing for his safety, the victim paid the accused Tk1.20 lakh.
The accused took the money and left the scene, instructing him to pay the remaining amount quickly. Afterwards, the accused repeatedly demanded money over the phone, threatening to file a case. On Sunday, at around 9:30 pm, the accused took Tk1 lakh as extortion money and pressured Saeed to pay the remaining amount quickly.
On 20 May, Saiful Islam Rabbi, former convener of Mohammadpur Thana of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, along with three others, were detained after creating a mob at the house of a publisher in Dhanmondi, labeling him an accomplice of fascism. Police released them that day on the assurance of Senior Joint Chief Coordinator of NCP Abdul Hannan Masud.
