Addl DIG visits 'gunfight' victim's house
A high official of police yesterday visited the house of Rezaul Islam alias Beshti Rony -- a suspected drug dealer who was killed in a “gunfight” in Tongi on Monday -- to investigate a bribery allegation of Tk 8 lakh against police in exchange for Rezaul's release.
Additional Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police (Dhaka Range) Anwar Hossain is heading a three-member committee formed to probe the claim made by Rezaul's family.
Rezaul's sister Shanta Akhter said the police official came to their house in Ershad Nagar area of Tongi around noon and inquired about names of the police personnel who received the money from them.
However, backtracking on her mother's claim of paying a total of Tk 8 lakh in bribe to police in two installments, Shanta told the DIG as well as this correspondent that her family had paid Tk 2.5 lakh to police in three installments.
After the detective branch (DB) of police picked up her brother around 2:00am on Saturday, her family members went to the DB office in Gazipur around noon the next day, Shanta said, adding, “DB Sub-inspector Achintya Babu first took Tk 50 thousand, then Tk 1.5 lakh and later took another Tk 50 thousand through bKash [mobile financial service].”
Rezaul's mother Parvin Begum said, “They freed my son after having me sign on a blank sheet of paper.”
Later on, ASI Abu Bakkar Siddiqui of Tongi Police Station detained Rezaul again and demanded Tk 1 lakh more for his release, she said, adding that when her husband went home to bring Tk 50 thousand out of the new demand of Tk 1 lakh, they came to know that Rezaul was killed in a “gunfight”.
Police formed the three-member probe committee on Tuesday after the bribery allegation came to light.
Rezaul's father Hafizul Islam said his son was arrested seven years ago in a narcotics case after two police informants implicated him in the case.
He admitted that his son was a yaba addict and had heard about him selling the drug in small quantities.
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