A Dhaka court has placed four individuals, including a local leader of the National Citizen Party (NCP), on a two-day remand each in connection with an alleged extortion incident at a hospital in Mohammadpur.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mehedi Hasan passed the order on Tuesday after investigation officer of the case, Sub-Inspector Mohammad Nazmul Islam of Mohammadpur Police Station, filed a petition seeking seven-day remand for each suspect.
The court, however, granted two days for four of them, according to Sub-Inspector Mizanur Rahman of DMP’s Prosecution Division.
The court had initially sent the accused to jail on Monday and scheduled the remand hearing for the following day.
The accused are Abdur Rahman Manik, joint coordinator of NCP’s Mohammadpur unit; Saiful Islam Rabbi, 28, former convener of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement’s Mohammadpur unit; Habibur Rahman Farhad, and Mohammad Abu Sufiyan.
However, another accused, Mohammad Shahin Hossain, 38, has been granted permission to be interrogated at the jail gate if necessary.
Earlier, on Monday, Shilpi Akhter, owner of Safe Hospital and Diagnostic Centre in Mohammadpur, filed the case.
According to the complaint, on the night of 20 September, around 12:30am, accused Shahin brought his pregnant wife to the hospital, claiming her condition was critical. The hospital advised him to seek care at another facility due to capacity issues, but Shahin insisted they proceed with the delivery at the hospital.
At that point, the hospital authorities took signatures on all necessary documents from Shahin and proceeded with the delivery. During the normal delivery process, a stillborn child was born.
Two days later, on 22 September around 2pm, Shahin allegedly returned and demanded Tk 3 lakh from the hospital owner’s son, Mohammad Abu Sayeed, allegedly as compensation for the child’s death, threatening legal consequences if payment was not made.
When the demand was refused, Shahin and his associates vandalised hospital property, including medical equipment and CCTV cameras, causing approximately Tk 1.50 lakh in damages. The group then allegedly abducted Sayeed and threatened to kill him. Out of fear, the hospital owner claims to have paid them Tk 1.20 lakh. The group demanded the remaining amount be paid soon.
In the following days, the accused allegedly continued making extortion calls and threats of lawsuits. On Sunday (29 September) around 9:30am, they reportedly collected another Tk 1 lakh and pressured for the remaining balance.
This is not the first time some of the accused have been involved in controversy. On 20 May, Saiful Islam Rabbi and two others were detained for reportedly forming a mob outside the home of a publisher in Dhanmondi, labeling him a “collaborator of fascism.“
Police later released them into the custody of Abdul Hannan Masud, a senior leader of the NCP.
