Police have arrested two persons accused of looting approximately Tk5 lakh worth of carrots from a farmer’s field after he failed to meet their extortion demand of Tk1 lakh.
The arrestees were produced before a court and sent to jail on Monday morning. They were apprehended on Sunday afternoon from the Ishwardi EPZ Gate area in Pabna.
The arrestees are Ashis Hossain, 30, and Palash Hossain, 29, both from Baghail Thakurpara village in Pakshi union under Ishwardi upazila.
While locals indicated that the accused are known as activists of the ruling BNP’s youth wing, Jubo Dal, police said they could not immediately confirm their political affiliations.
The victim, farmer Shariful Islam, 41, of Jagannathpur village in Salimpur union, filed a case on Friday night naming the two arrested individuals and three unidentified others in connection with the theft.
According to the case statement, Shariful had leased land on an annual basis to cultivate carrots. The affected plots included 0.6 acres (1.5 bighas) owned by Habibul Islam Hobbul, located near Beltola Government Primary School in Pakshi union, and approximately 0.8 acres (2 bighas) owned by one Swapon, situated west of the Chorki Gate in Pakshi Paper Mills Colony.
The accused recently demanded Tk1 lakh in extortion from Shariful and threatened him with death if he refused to pay. Fearing for his safety, the farmer initially paid Tk25,000. However, when he failed to pay the remaining amount, the accused allegedly continued to intimidate and threaten him.
Subsequently, on the night of 3 February, the accused allegedly looted approximately 300 maunds (11,000 kg) of carrots from the Beltola plot, with an estimated market value of Tk2 lakh. They followed up with another theft on the night of 17 February, looting approximately 350 maunds (12,800 kg) of carrots, valued at Tk3 lakh, from the plot near the Paper Mills Colony.
The aggrieved farmer, Shariful, said, “I had taken loans to cultivate these carrots. Before I could even repay that money, they demanded extortion and looted my entire crop. I am a poor farmer. I must be compensated for this loss.”
He added, “I have sought help from the administration and local leaders and even held a press conference. I have filed a written complaint with the police. Those involved, including the ones arrested, must face punishment. If they are let off, they will continue committing such crimes.”
Confirming the incident and the arrests, Ishwardi Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mominuzzaman said, “Drives are ongoing to apprehend the other accused involved in this incident. We do not have information regarding the political identity of the two arrestees.”
