After Failing to Get Redress at Police Station, Case Filed in Court Against Jamaat MP Shahjahan’s PS over Extortion and Property Grabbing

❐ Local correspondent

A case has been filed in court against Arman Uddin, personal assistant (PS) of Chattogram-15 MP and Jamaat leader Shahjahan Chowdhury, and his brother Arif Uddin, along with six others, on charges of extortion and property grabbing.

Amir Hossain, a resident of West Kalauzan area of ​​Lohagara, filed the case in the Chittagong Chief Judicial Magistrate Court on Sunday, August 23.

The court took cognizance of the case and ordered the Additional Superintendent of Police of Satkania Circle to conduct a detailed investigation and submit a report.

According to the case statement, plaintiff Amir Hossain had rented out a cupboard shop and a living room on the ground floor of a four-story building called ‘Aziz Complex’ located in Lohagara.

The accused had been demanding a ransom of Tk 2 million from the plaintiff for a long time and were threatening to occupy the building if the ransom was not paid.

On April 3rd, at around 2 am, after demanding extortion over a mobile phone, the accused broke the lock of Obaidul’s Almari shop, a tenant on the ground floor of Aziz Complex, and entered the shop when the plaintiff refused. It is alleged that they looted steel cupboards and showcases worth about 11,58,659 taka and cash of 120,000 taka from the shop and installed a new lock.

The plaintiff was abroad at the time of the incident. When he returned to the country and sat in a meeting with the accused at around 9 am on August 20, Arif Uddin again demanded a ransom of Tk 20 lakh. He was told that the house and shop would not be returned if the money was not paid.

The case states that Arman Uddin ordered the plaintiff to do as they said over the mobile phone and threatened to kill the plaintiff and hide his body if the other accused, Adil, did not pay the ransom.

At one point, the defendants randomly beat and kicked the plaintiff, injuring him in various parts of his body.

After initially failing to obtain legal redress at the police station, the plaintiff was later forced to approach the court.

Accused Arman Uddin is accused of kidnapping a businessman in Lohagara, demanding a large sum of money and obtaining DO letters for the sand business after the August 5, 2024, coup, using the influence of Jamaat leader Shahjahan Chowdhury’s coordination with the top administration officials.

A phone conversation between Arman Uddin and the local police station and upazila administration came to light on August 18. The conversation focused on managing the local police station and upazila administration and reaching agreements with higher-ups to keep the sand business running in Lohagara.

In the same phone conversation, instead of protesting the threat to shoot MP Shahjahan Chowdhury in the leg if he came to the area, Arman presented himself as the main controller of the area by prohibiting him from coming to the area.