A WhatsApp voice message demanding Tk50lakh from the son of a Dubai-based businessman, accompanied by threats of attacks on his family, has led police to arrest a close associate of notorious Chattogram criminal Boro Sazzad.
The accused, Md Sabbir Hossain Sani, 34, allegedly warned the businessman’s family that if the money was not paid, the “game would begin with a hornet’s nest” being placed on a family member before attacks were carried out against others.
When the family refused to pay, two shots were fired at the entrance of their building in Hamzarbagh, Chattogram, according to the complaint.
Chattogram District Detective Branch (DB) police arrested Sani during a raid in Siddhirganj, Narayanganj, on the night of 30 October.
Police said Sani had returned to Bangladesh from abroad last year at the direction of Boro Sazzad and subsequently took charge of extortion and other criminal activities in Chattogram. He was allegedly assigned to replace David Imon, who is currently in jail, and received Tk50,000 a month from Boro Sazzad for his role.
Chattogram District Police Additional Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Md Rusel confirmed the arrest on Saturday afternoon.
Tk50 lakh demand followed by gunfire
One of the alleged extortion incidents took place on 10 August 10 at Runa Tower, an 11-storey building on Hamza Khan Lane in Hamzarbagh under Panchlaish Police Station.
The building belongs to Mohammad Yusuf, whose two sons run businesses abroad. Their ancestral home is in Fatikchhari, Chattogram.
According to the complaint, a voice message sent from a foreign phone number reached the WhatsApp account of Yusuf’s elder son, Shawkat.
The caller claimed to know personal details about the family, including where its members lived, what they did and where their properties were located. The message demanded Tk50 lakh within an hour.
The caller threatened to kill family members and send people to attack them if the demand was not met. The amount would increase to Tk1 crore if the attackers had to be sent, the message warned.
The family was also instructed to contact a Qatar-based number belonging to a person referred to as ‘Bhai’ to settle the matter.
Yusuf told journalists at the time that the voice message had arrived on his elder son’s WhatsApp account around noon. After the family failed to pay, attackers fired two consecutive shots at the building’s entrance before fleeing on foot.
Yusuf subsequently filed a case against unidentified assailants.
Sub-Inspector Shawkat Hridoy, the investigation officer of the case, told TIMES that the incident bore similarities to an extortion attempt in Hathazari.
However, no one was physically assaulted in the Hamzarbagh incident. Investigators could not clearly identify the shooters from CCTV footage, he said.
He added that the threats and voice messages had originated from a foreign phone number and the matter was under investigation.
Sani linked to Hathazari extortion attempt
Police have also linked Sani to an alleged extortion attempt involving a multi-storey building under construction in Hathazari on 26 July.
According to the case details, extortionists demanded Tk20 lakh from businessman Jasim Uddin in connection with the construction project. After issuing threats for several days, attackers allegedly fired shots in the air in front of the under-construction building.
The businessman was subsequently threatened over the phone and pressured to stop construction work.
Jasim filed a case with Hathazari Model Police Station against seven to eight unidentified individuals. The case was registered as Case No. 26.
Speaking to journalists at the time, Jasim said attackers arrived at the construction site on the morning of 26 July and fired shots.
Later that night, he received abusive phone calls and threats ordering him to halt construction.
Hathazari Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Zahidur Rahman told TIMES that police had sought permission to show Sani arrested in the case.
Police would also seek a seven-day remand for questioning, he said.
Alleged involvement in Azad murder
Apart from the extortion cases, police have also found Sani’s alleged involvement in a murder case.
On 1 July, Sheikh Md Azad, 25, was shot dead in broad daylight in the Forest Gate area under Panchlaish Police Station in Chattogram.
Azad’s father, Nurul Rashid, filed a murder case naming three individuals and accusing four to five unidentified people.
Police said their investigation had found Sani’s alleged involvement in the killing.
Abu Sufian Qutubi, the investigation officer and a sub-inspector of Panchlaish Police Station, told TIMES that Sani’s involvement in Azad’s murder had emerged during the investigation.
He declined to disclose further details, citing the ongoing investigation. He said police would seek to show Sani arrested in the case on Sunday after district police sent him to jail on Saturday.
Returned from abroad to take charge of criminal activities
Sani is a resident of Satbasu village under Kaliganj Police Station in Satkhira. His father is Md Malek. He had been living in Hamzarbagh under Panchlaish Police Station in Chattogram.
According to preliminary police findings, Sani had previously lived abroad before returning to Bangladesh last year at the direction of Boro Sazzad.
Police said he subsequently became involved in extortion, assaults and other criminal activities in Chattogram, allegedly operating on behalf of Boro Sazzad and Borhan.
Investigators claim Sani was assigned to oversee extortion and other criminal operations in Chattogram in place of David Imon, who is currently in jail.
During questioning, Sani reportedly told investigators that he received Tk 50,000 a month from Boro Sazzad.
According to police, members of the network allegedly used their influence and intimidation to extort money from individuals and businesspeople.
Preliminary findings suggest that when victims refused to pay or extortion attempts failed, armed associates acting on Sani’s instructions attacked their homes and business establishments.
Arrested in Narayanganj after surveillance
Additional Superintendent of Police Md Rusel said investigators identified Sani’s location in Siddhirganj, Narayanganj, following an extended period of intelligence gathering and surveillance.
A police team subsequently conducted a raid and arrested him on the night of 30 October.
Rusel said Sani faced separate cases with Panchlaish and Hathazari police stations in Chattogram.
He added that the District Detective Branch had recently obtained an audio recording containing threats and demands for extortion.
Police are examining the recording alongside other evidence to establish Sani’s direct and indirect involvement in the alleged extortion attempts, identify his associates and uncover the activities of the criminal network, he said.
