Police have arrested two people, including a leader of the National Citizen Party, in an extortion case in Bochaganj upazila of Dinajpur after locals caught them while attempting to extort money on Saturday night.
The arrested NCP leader is MA Tafsir, 33, district joint member secretary of the party and chief coordinator of Bochaganj upazila, a resident of Dhanatala (College Road) village. The other accused is Manjurul Alam, 36.
According to the case statement, the incident took place at the house of Santosh Kumar Ray, 40, in Bareya village, where he lives with his brother Parimal Chandra Ray.
At around 9:30pm, Manjurul Alam, along with several others carrying iron pipes and steel rods, entered the house searching for Parimal and identified themselves as “people from the administration” when questioned.
When Parimal was not found, one of the accused allegedly grabbed his wife Smriti Rani by the throat and demanded that Parimal be produced or the key to a trunk be handed over. The group then allegedly demanded Tk2 lakh, threatening to kill everyone if the demand was not met. Hearing Santosh’s screams, neighbours rushed to the scene, forcing most of the accused to flee, while Manjurul Alam was caught.
During detention, Manjurul reportedly told locals that he had gone to the house on the orders of NCP leader Tafsir. When Tafsir later arrived at the scene, locals detained him and handed him over to police.
Dinajpur Additional Superintendent of Police Anwar Hossain said two people were detained on Saturday night over allegations of extortion at a house and were later taken into police custody. That night, Santosh Kumar Ray filed a case with Bochaganj police station, naming the two arrested along with seven to eight unidentified accused.
NCP district convener Md Shamsul Muktadir said Tafsir, although part of the district committee, mainly works in Bochaganj upazila. He said the party would also investigate the matter and take action for breaching party discipline if the allegations are proven.
