BCL man among 2 held for swindling

Police on Monday night arrested two people, including a Chhatra League activist, on charge of taking Tk 2 lakh from a woman using the name of Deputy Education Minister Mahibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel.

They took the money by promising to ensure bail for her husband, who was arrested in a drug case last year.

The arrestees are Shihab Uddin Siddiqui alias Rihan Sihab (26), of Chattogram's Fatikchhari upazila and Solaiman (41) of Cumilla's Muradnagar area, said police. 

Among them, Shihab is a BCL activist while Solaiman is a marketing and sales manager at a hotel in port city, said police. 

They were arrested hours after Taslima, a senior officer of a private bank, filed a case with Kotwali Police Station, accusing the duo.

Sub-inspector Mominul Haque of the police station said Rab arrested Taslima's husband Iftiaz Saeed Sardar from Kamalapur area of Dhaka on November 18 with drugs.

He is now in jail. Iftiaz, Shihab and Solaiman are friends, he added.

"Taslima communicated with Shihab at the hotel where Solaiman worked. Shihab introduced himself as a person close to the deputy education minister. He told her that he could release Iftiaz on bail after talking to the deputy minister, if she gives him Tk 2 lakh," said the police official.

The SI said she gave the money to Shihab and Solaiman but later became suspicious as her husband did not get bail.

So, Taslima went to Nowfel's assistant personal secretary Rahul and disclosed the matter to him. Rahul then informed the deputy minister about the fraudsters.

Mohammad Mohsin, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station, said police seized Tk 1.7 lakh from the accused after their arrest.