Trader ‘tortured’ in DB custody

A trader in the capital's Ashkona has alleged that he was tortured in custody of the Detective Branch of police in October and forced to write a cheque of Tk 3.60 crore.

The DB launched an investigation against four officers after Jasim Uddin, 51, filed complaints with the home ministry and Dhaka Metropolitan Police Headquarters on December 10.

One of the officers categorically refuted all the allegations against them, saying that the man who filed the complaint is a fraudster.

The officers facing the investigation are Deputy Commissioner (Wari) Abdul Ahad, Additional Deputy Commissioner Shahidur Rahman, Assistant Commissioner Mahfuzur Rahman and Inspector Muhammad Arzun.

According to the complaint filed by Jasim, a DB team arrested him at a hotel in the capital's Malibagh around 11:00pm on October 12 on charges of swindling a jeweller out of Tk 4.1 crore.

Hours later, a jeweller named, Manas Das, filed a case with Jatrabari Police Station, accusing Jasim of pretending to be a gold trader and taking the large sum of money with false promises of supplying him with gold.

Jasim says he had never met Manas before and the charges against him were false. 

In his complaint, Jasim wrote that after arresting him, the DB team took him to Jatrabari Police Station and made Manas file a case against him.

The following day, he was placed on two-day remand by a court.

On October 14, he was taken to a room blindfolded. The DB officers present there stripped him and tortured him for 40-45 minutes, reads the complaint, adding that the officers took pictures of him and were mocking him.

On November 8, a court placed him on remand again under DB custody.

Twelve days later, DB officers took him from Dhaka Central Jail to the DB office on Minto Road and hit him with sticks, fracturing his leg, says the complaint, adding that he was sent to jail the next day.

On November 29, DB officers picked up Jasim's wife Josna Akter and took her to the DB office where she was compelled to sign an arbitration paper, promising to give a cheque of Tk 3.60 crore for Jasim's bail, reads the complaint.

Jasim later signed the arbitration document, and he was granted bail on December 3, the complaint adds.

Contacted, DB Deputy Commissioner Abdul Ahad said he would not comment on the matter because an investigation is going on.

Another officer facing the investigation said the allegations are a conspiracy against him and his colleagues.

"No money was taken at the DB office. The matter was settled in court. The man was granted bail by the court because he wrote the cheque," said the officer requesting anonymity.

He added that the DB team arrested Jasim on specific charges.

"Jasim showed Manas photos of gold and offered him a stash at a cheaper price. He first took Tk 20 lakh from Manas and then made him deposit Tk 3.90 crore to a bank account of a man named Nizamul Hossain. Then Jasim switched off the phone with which he contacted Manas.

"Minutes after the money was deposited, Tk 3.74 crore was transferred from Nizamul's account to Jasim's. Jasim then withdrew Tk 10 lakh and transferred the rest to another account of his," the officer said.

The officer added that his team took Jasim's wife to the DB office because they found evidence of her online conversation with Jasim about the money.

The allegations of torture and intimidation are false, he claimed.

DMP Joint Commissioner (cyber and special crimes, DB North) Khondakar Nurunnabi and Additional Deputy Commissioner (DB Tejgaon) Shafiqul Islam are investigating the allegations against the officers.

DB chief Harun Or Rashid yesterday said action will be taken based on the findings of the probe.