7 DB members suspended over ‘kidnapping businessman’
They threatened to frame Sohel and his family members in a false case or disappear his body after killing him if they disclose the incident to anybody
Dhaka district police have suspended seven members of its Detective Branch who allegedly kidnapped a businessman and took Tk4.5 lakh in ransom from him after "threatening to kill him in crossfire".
Confirming their suspension upon receiving a complaint, M Maruf Hosasin Sardar, superintendent of Dhaka district police, said the accused men include a sub-inspector, an assistant sub-inspector and five constables.
However, he refused to disclose the names of the suspended cops before completing an investigation.
Victim M Sohel, a resident in the city's Keraniganj, lodged a complaint with the Dhaka district police super's office on Thursday.
According to the complaint, a group of five to six people, introducing themselves as detectives, nabbed Sohel from the Lalkuthi area in Sutrapur around 6pm on Wednesday while he was returning home from Sadarghat.
They first handcuffed Sohel and crossed the Buriganga river on a boat. Later, they blindfolded the victim and took him to an isolated place by a microbus. The alleged kidnappers beat him up mercilessly.
At one stage, they demanded Tk5 lakh in ransom after threatening to send him to jail in a false case and even kill him in a crossfire if he refused to give the money.
The victim first refused to give the money, but later his family members agreed to give the ransom.
Then alleged kidnappers told Sohel's family members to come to the Bosila bridge. Then they picked up three of Sohel's relatives – carrying Tk4.5 lakh – on a microbus and brought them to an isolated place.
Finally, the accused DB men released Sohel around 11:30pm after receiving Tk4.5 lakh.
In his complaint, Sohel said they threatened to frame him and his family members in a false case or disappear his body after killing him if they disclose the incident to anybody.
The victim said he could identify the men who introduced themselves as DB police. But he could not know their names except one who was called Rajib.