Detectives have arrested an expelled leader of the Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad (GCS), in connection with an alleged extortion attempt involving Tk 50 lakh from the residence of a former Awami League lawmaker in Dhaka’s Gulshan.
According to Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Jane Alam Apu, joint convener of the student organisation, was arrested on Friday from the Wari area of the capital.
He had been on the run since the incident and was previously reported as a fugitive. Police say Apu had introduced himself as a coordinator of the student platform Students Against Discrimination (SAD) during the extortion attempt.
Confirming the arrest, DMP Deputy Commissioner (Media) Muhammad Talebur Rahman said Apu was taken into custody by the Detective Branch (DB) and is now facing legal proceedings.
The case was filed on July 26 at Gulshan Police Station by Siddique Abu Zafar, husband of former Awami League lawmaker Shammi Ahmed.
The complaint named six individuals, including leaders of SAD, and 10 to 12 unnamed accomplices.
According to the complaint, on July 17, a group identifying themselves as SAD members went to the lawmaker’s residence and demanded Tk 50 lakh. As the former MP was not home, the demand was made to her husband, who later handed over Tk 10 lakh to Abdur Razzak Riyad, acting convener of SAD’s combined private university unit.
The group reportedly returned again on July 19 but fled when informed that the police had been informed. On July 26, they came a third time, prompting police intervention.
Law enforcers arrested five individuals at the scene, including Dhaka city unit SAD convener Ibrahim Hossain Munna. Following their detention, both student organizations permanently expelled them.