Ex-UP member ‘tortured’ by moneylender

A former female union parishad (UP) member was confined to a house and tortured allegedly by a local moneylender and his men in Rayer Bazar area of Habiganj’s Baniachong upazila on Saturday.

The victim is Kanon Bala Dev, 35, wife of late Sunil Chandra Dev, and a former member of Dakkhin-Pashchim UP. She is now undergoing treatment at the upazila health complex.

Kanon said she borrowed Tk 1 lakh from Tonu Mia of the village for her daughter’s marriage five months ago. At the time, she gave two blank bank cheques bearing her signature to the moneylender as security.

“Later, I paid Tk 78,000 as interest. Failing to repay the capital, I also had a piece of land registered in the name of Tonu but he did not return my blank cheques then,” Kanon said at the hospital bed.

“Instead, Tonu demanded more money from me,” she said.

Around 5:30pm on Saturday, Tonu and his gang picked up her from Pukurpar area in the village, said Kanon, adding that they later confined her to the house of Tonu and tortured her physically.

Informed by locals, police rescued Kanon while Tonu and his wife Dolon Begum fled the scene.

Md Rashed Mobarak, OC of Baniachang Police Station, said action will be taken after a case is filed in this regard.