Sheikh Abu Bakkar, son of Sheikh Nurul Islam of Sultanpur of Satkhira town, filed the case.

Mithu is on the run now to evade arrest as he went into hiding after the declaration of emergency while local BNP leader Sadek is detained in jail as the joint forces arrested him on June 25.

This is the third case filed in the last three months against Mithu. The other accused in the case include SM Habibur Rahman Habib, Abul Kashem Morol, Fazlul Haque, Mahsin-Ul Mulk, Monsur Master, Mojibar Rahman Gazi, Shamim Ahmed, Krishna Pada Mondal, Abdur Rahim and Bhupendra Nath Sardar.

Mithu enjoyed undue power during the immediate past BNP-Jamaat led 4-party alliance government by virtue of being a close aide to central Jubo Dal president and then commerce ministry advisor Barkat Ullah Bhulu, sources said.

The complainant, Sheikh Abu Bakkar said, he has been cultivating shrimp on 550 bighas of land at Harinagar since 1989. He alleged that the accused led by Mithu demanded toll amounting to Tk 25 lakh from him on February 15 in 2004 and threatened him of dire consequences for non-compliance.

On February 20, at about 10, am the accused led by Mithu went there by a car and snatched away Tk 50,000 from him at gunpoint, Bakkar alleged. He said he did not file the case then for fear of retaliation as Mithu was an influential leader of the ruling BNP's youth front.

Contacted over cellphone, main accused Mithu denied the allegations and termed the case as baseless saying it was aimed at harassing and tarnishing his image.

On contact, Shyamnagar thana Officer in Charge (OC) Kazi Mizanur Rahman confirmed the filing of the case.