Jubo League leader Sayeed’s torture chambers

Looking at the faded red-coloured building, the first impression one gets is that this is just another old three-storey building.

The main door on the ground floor was found under lock and key. Locals said the owner had shut down the front side to avert public gathering.

Instead, the owner used a back door – facing the Wari Club – to enter.

Owner of a computer shop housed in the building said he had to pay Tk10,000 per month to Sayeed. 

At least 10 locals said they often heard screams coming from the building – from that floor.

Intelligence personnel have discovered that the ground floor of the building in Motijheel was used as a torture cell. Jubo League Joint Secretary of Dhaka South city unit AKM Mominul Haque Sayeed's torture cell.

Sayeed, also a councillor of Ward 9 of the Dhaka South City Corporation, had been running the torture cell in the guise of his political office.

This is one of three torture cells run by Sayeed, confirmed intelligence sources earlier, two located in Motijheel area and another in Dhanmondi.

The intelligence forces came up with the findings after a thorough investigation. They, however, did not disclose the addresses of the two other torture cells.

Locals said Sayeed would bring people who raised voice against him to his "office". Many traders, local residents, building owners in Motijheel and Arambagh areas were brought there for torture, said the locals. 

"Sayeed's councillor used the place as his office…We would hear screams. But there was nothing anyone could do about it," said a caretaker of a building nearby, wishing anonymity.

There is also an allegation that the floor, which houses the torture cell, was forcibly taken from a businessman.

According to a 2012 general diary of the Motijheel police station, businessman Md Rafiqul Islam complained that a group of goons and ruling party activists threatened him to leave his commercial place.  

Rafiqul told The Business Standard that Sayeed had grabbed his place in 2012.

Asked over the phone why he had not mentioned Saeed in the GD, Rafiqul said the then officer-in-charge of Motijheel police station refused to include Sayeed's name.  

At first, Sayeed's brother Harun rented the place and continued to pay.

After a few months, he stopped paying the rents, and in association with his brother, grabbed the floor. 

"Sayeed and his allies turned my place into a torture cell. When I visited the place to beg him to return my place, I also saw people were being tortured in the cell," Rafiqul claimed. 

Eventually, Rafiqul had to leave the capital in fear of Sayeed. He now lives in Chattogram. 

Ataur Rahman, managing director of Unique Syndicate on the top floor of the building, also said, "He [Rafiqul] lost his place and was also threatened; we had nothing to do." 

Owner of a computer shop housed in the building said he had to pay Tk10,000 per month to Sayeed. 

When contacted, Anwar Hossain, deputy commissioner (Motijheel division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, declined to make any comment. 

Md Omar Faruq, officer-in-charge of Motijheel police station, said he did not know anything in this regard. 

Asked about Rafiqul's GD, he said he could not recall anything. 

Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner (Motijheel zone) Mishu Biswas said they are trying to catch Sayeed.

But the employees of Sayeed's councillor office in Arambagh said Sayeed had gone abroad for treatment two weeks back.

Lt Col Sarwar Bin Kashem, director (Legal and Media Wing) of Rapid Action Battalion, said Sayeed is under their scanner. 

"Arrested casino gang members also disclosed Sayeed's name; our drive is on to catch him," he further said.