Extortionists occupy house, land for refusing to pay toll

Madhob Bhattachariya and his family are on the run for life as some miscreants occupied their lands along with the homestead and threatened them with death for non-payment of toll.

Madhob left his Badaura village home in Atpara upazila and has taken shelter in Mohongonj municipal area in Natrakona district.

He submitted a written prayer to the Netrakona Police Superintendent on May 30 to save his family members and his property, he told this correspondent at his hideout in Mohonganj last week. The identity of his residence is not disclosed for security reasons.

In his prayer, Madhob said that Mohammad Fazal Karim, Abdus sattar, Ferdous Mia, Mohammad Saimuddin, Mohammad Hasemuddin, Md. Mostafa Mia, Mohammad Kanchon Mia, Mohammad Mahfiz Mia, Md. Sonamuddin, Falan Mia, and Kium Mia, of the area forcibly grabbed his lands and homestead about one and half months back as he failed to give them Tk 30,000 as toll.

Madhob said that he filed a case with Atpara police station on April 30 after the miscreants demanded the toll. But police did not take any action.

On May 15, the miscreants forcibly took away about 150 maunds of Boro paddy from his two acre lands. In the same evening, they came to his house and threatened him to leave the village within 24 hours. He left the house with his family and took shelter at Rautpara in Mohongonj municipal area.

When contacted , Netrakona Police Superintendent Abu Naser Mohammad Khaled said he received a complaint from Madhob on May 30 and sent it to the Officer-in-Charge of Atpara thana the same day to investigate and send a report. Action will be taken after investigation, he said.

Atpara thana OC Mohammad Shahjahan said Madhob's complaint is under investigation and a report will be sent to the SP soon.