Extortion case: HC refuses to grant bail to ex-Faridpur AL leaders

The High Court today refused to grant bail to former Faridpur town unit Awami League general secretary Sazzad Hossain Barkat and his brother Imtiaz Hasan alias Rubel in an extortion case involving Tk 50 lakh.

The court rejected the petition filed by Barkot and Rubel seeking bail in the case.

The HC bench of Justice Md Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Justice AKM Zahirul Huq passed the rejection order considering that the bail petition was not presented properly before it, Deputy Attorney General Asaduzzaman Monir told The Daily Star.

He said Faridpur's Kotwali Thana Awami League Secretary Shamsul Alam filed the case with Kotwali police station on June 12 last year against Barkat and Rubel for demanding Tk 50 lakh from him in 2019.

A group of terrorists hired by Barkat and Rubel attacked and vandalised his (Shamsul) office and his private car, assaulted his son and driver and snatched away Tk 5 lakh on December 22, 2019 after he refused to give the money as extortion, the case statement said.

On June 7 last year, police arrested nine people, including Barkat and Rubel, from different parts of Faridpur town for their alleged involvement in attacking a house of one Subal Chandra in the town's Goalchamat area on May 16.

According to the statement in a money-laundering case filed against Barkat and Rubel, they amassed a huge amount of wealth after they won contracts from various government departments in the district through manipulation since 2010.

They were also allegedly involved in drug trading and land grabbing. The two became owners of around 23 buses, and several trucks and cars.

Lawyer Mohi Uddin Ahmed appeared for Barkat and Rubel during hearing their bail petition.