Using torture cells to get their way

In a general setting, Mufti Mamun seems to be a religious person, as he followed the footsteps of his father, an Islamic scholar, or at least what Mamun pretends to be.

However, his main job is confining businesspeople and employees to a torture cell and extorting money by taking compromising pictures.

He started by stealing money from his brother-in-law. With the money, he bought several shops and started a business.

In those very shops, he has two torture cells.

On April 11, Mamun with one of his gang members abducted Shibu Lal, a noted businessperson in Patuakhali, intending to collect around Tk 20 crore as ransom.

He planned to set up the biggest garment factory in the southern part of the country and start a transport business on the Dhaka-Patuakhali route. He also had plans to start his own bus company with the ransom.

However, the plan was foiled after Patuakhali police managed to rescue Shibu from the district's SP complex on April 12. After that, Mamun and his associate took shelter in Dhaka.

The district police then gave a requisition to the detective branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).

On information, DB finally arrested Mamun, his associate Pichchi Rana, BRTC bus driver Jashim Uddin and Ashiqur Rahman from the capital's Mirpur and Gulistan areas on Tuesday.

Rana used to work at a toll plaza, and Ashiqur is a rent-e-car supplier, said police. Law enforcers seized a car, cell phone and 4,000 yaba pills from the arrestees' possession.

While addressing a briefing at the capital's DMP media centre yesterday, AKM Hafiz Akter, additional commissioner (DB) of DMP, disclosed the arrest and talked about Mamun's criminal activities.

They were all shown arrested in a separate narcotics case in Dhaka, and a court later placed the arrestees on a four-day remand, said police.

Hafiz said Mamun's one of the prime sources of illegal money collection from the narcotics business.

Mamun's latest victim, Shibu Lal, is a noted contractor in Patuakhali. He was abducted with another victim -- car driver Miraz Mia.

Mashiur Rahman, deputy commissioner (Gulshan division) of DB, told The Daily Star that the gang has always been supported by a section of political leaders. "We have come to know that the gang has been doing such criminal activities since 2017."

As the Padma bridge is going to open for public movement within a couple of months, the criminals wanted to start a new business, like rent-a-car and tourism services, by collecting a huge sum of money through such criminal activities, said Mashiur.

"We have got some information from the arrestees about those who shelter the gang. We have already shared the information with the district police and are conducting drives to arrest them," said the official.