Rab discovers torture cell in Baridhara DOHS

Twelve arrested youths, including a Bangladesh Chhatra League leader of Dhaka University, Al-Imran, third from right, at a Baridhara DOHS house in the capital yesterday where they operated a "torture cell" to extort money from businessmen and other people, according to the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) officials who detained them in the afternoon. Photo: Star

Rapid Action Battalion yesterday uncovered a horrifying torture cell in the capital's Baridhara DOHS and arrested 12 people, including a BCL leader of Dhaka University hall unit, in this connection.
Three of the arrested, Omar Faruk, Al- Imran and Muntasir Rahman, are students of Dhaka University. Al-Imran is also the senior vice president of Jasimuddin Hall unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League.
At a press briefing on the spot yesterday, Rab personnel said the building was used as a buying house, Samantha Corporation.
On the night of April 1, Harunur Rashid, a driver by profession, noticed that four officials of the garment factory he was working for were staying in the building for  long.
Talking to The Daily Star after the briefing, Rashid said he had gone to the second floor of the building to find them, and heard screams coming from it.
Rashid said he then quickly alerted a policeman who was patrolling the area.
Saifuddin Milon along with three other officials went there to collect due payment.       
Saifuddin said Samantha House at times subcontracts with them and this time the buying house's owner, Mohammad Wajibullah Milon, asked Saifuddin to come to collect Tk 16 lakh owed to him.
Before entering the building, Saifuddin told Rashid to call the police if they stayed inside later than 10:00pm.
Saifuddin said he on March 25 came to the buying house and saw another man being tortured inhumanely by the owner and thus took such a precaution.
Police rescued Saifuddin and three others, and filed a general diary the same night.
The elite force, however, came to know about the matter on Sunday, raided the building, and arrested 12 staff.
Several others, including the owner, have gone into hiding, said Rab.
Rab officials seized several bottles of Phensedyl, bullets, CCTV cameras, several wooden rods and a metal detector.
Rab screened footage of Wajibullah Milon and his cronies holding a man captive and beating him up. The footage also showed Imran drinking from a bottle which Rab claimed was Phensedyl.     Wajibullah Milon had lived in Spain for 10 years and rented out the establishment six months back, said Rab officials.