Five DB men withdrawn for 'extortion'

Five members of Detective Branch (DB) of police were closed to the police lines in Joypurhat yesterday after a complaint of extortion was filed against them on Wednesday.

Superintendent of Police Rashidul Hasan issued the withdrawal order after Amirul Islam of Uttar Krishnapur village under Panchbibi upazila filed a written complaint against the detectives. In the complaint, he accused them of extorting Tk 45,000 from him.

The closed DB men are SI Md Ripon Mia, ASI Sarwardi and constables Aminul Islam, Abdur Razzak and Delwar Hossain.

Ashok Kumar Paul, assistant superintendent of police, confirmed the withdrawal, saying they were running an investigation into the allegation.

Further action would be taken against the accused if they were found guilty in the probe, he added.

Amirul in his complaint filed on Wednesday said Ripon along with another policeman picked him up from Atapara area around 11:00am on Monday.

They had taken him inside a nearby bamboo orchard and demanded Tk 45,000, he added.

Amirul alleged that the SI had handcuffed him there, taken a few photos and put some Yaba pills in his hands when he rejected to give the money.

Ripon also threatened him with implicating him in false cases, he further alleged.

He was eventually forced to give the money to get rid of the detectives, he said.

Ripon denied the allegations.

According to media reports, 76,426 members of Bangladesh Police were punished for their involvement in various crimes and irregularities in five years and eight months as of August 31 last year.

Of them, 551 were dismissed or sacked and 72 faced forced retirement after the allegations against them were proved.

Last year, having failed to contain corruption by policemen at different police stations, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police authorities started a quick search of officers using its counterintelligence unit and found 124 errant SIs and ASIs.

The DMP also recommended that the police HQ should post those policemen in remote areas.

Most of those policemen -- 85 SIs and 39 ASIs -- in the past had used their influence to stop their transfer outside Dhaka, a DMP official said requesting anonymity.

However, it could not be ascertained immediately if the SI and ASI closed yesterday in Joypurhat were transferred from DMP.