They’ve been doing this for two years: Rab

The three persons arrested over holding transgender beauty vlogger Saad Mua captive and abusing her have been involved with extorting money from people through blackmailing for about two years.

They used to befriend people on social media, invite them over to their rented home and eventually blackmail them by taking "compromising" photos and videos.

During the process, they used to pose as members of armed forces or as law enforcers. 

Khandaker Al Moin, Rab's legal and media wing director, shared the information at a press conference, after arresting the three accused from Dhaka's Farmgate and Mohakhali areas yesterday.

The arrestees are: Fuad Amin Ishtiaque (21), Saima Sikder Nira alias RJ Nira (23), and Abdullah Afif Sadman (19). All are students of a private university.

Rab claimed to have recovered a walkie-talkie and a toy pistol, which they used to impersonate law enforcers.

Briefing reporters, the Rab director said the arrestees are members of an organised criminal gang. He said Ishtiaque is the ringleader while the other two are his accomplices. Ishtiaque has been sued in at least two other cases previously.

"They have been targeting people from different walks of life for two years. They tortured them and extorted money -- threatening to leak their photos and videos, that they captured, on social media," he said.

During interrogation, arrestees told Rab that Sadman got introduced with the victim, Sayed bin Rabbi Shanto, known as Saad Mua, through social media and met her at a restaurant near a private university in Bashundhara on January 10. 

He took Saad to the rented house where the trio beat her up, abused her and recorded the incident. They snatched a mobile phone, gold ornaments and cash from the victim and demanded Tk 1 lakh more -- threatening to implicate her in a case, Moin said.

Following that, Saad, a popular vlogger for her videos on beauty care, filed a case with Bhatara Police Station on Friday.

Saad also posted photos of the two accused and narrated her ordeal on her Facebook page.