Gulshan Extortion Case : Democratic Student Union Leader and Anti-Discrimination Student Coordinator Opu Arrested

Staff Correspondent

The Detective Branch (DB) has arrested fugitive Jana Alam Opu, leader of the Democratic Student Union and coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, in a case filed against him for allegedly visiting the residence of Awami League leader and reserved women’s seat MP Shammi Ahmed in the capital’s Gulshan district and demanding a bribe of crores of taka.

On Friday, August 1, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Deputy Commissioner (DC) Muhammad Talebur Rahman told the media that the DB has arrested Jana Alam Apu, joint convener of the Democratic Students’ Union, from Wari in connection with an extortion case in Gulshan.

It is learnt that Jaane Alam was the joint convener of the Apu Democratic Students’ Union. He played the role of coordinator in the anti-government Awami League riots in July-August last year. He was expelled from the organization after the extortion incident came to light on July 26.

Earlier, on July 30, police recovered a check worth Tk 2.25 crore from the house of Baishah leader Abdur Razzak bin Sulaiman Riyad, who was arrested in the same extortion case.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said on Monday that a raid was conducted at the Nakhalpara residence of Baischa leader Riyad. Cheques worth Tk 2.25 crore were recovered during the raid. FDR documents worth Tk 20 lakh were also recovered.

Incidentally, on July 26, the police arrested four coordinators, including Riyad, from the house of Awami League MP Shammi Ahmed during an extortion operation at night.

In this incident, on July 27, Gulshan Police Station Sub-Inspector (SI) Mokhlesur Rahman presented the accused in court and applied for a 10-day remand for each of them. After the hearing, the court of Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md. Ziadur Rahman granted a 7-day remand for each of them. They are currently being interrogated on remand.

The rest of those arrested are Ibrahim Hossain Munna, convener of the Dhaka Metropolitan Unit of Baishar, two members of the organization Sakadaun Siam and Sadman Sadab, and Riyad, a member of the central committee of the Democratic Students’ Union. They were permanently expelled from the organization after their arrest.

In addition, after this incident, the organization’s president Rifat Rashid and general secretary Hasan Inam announced the suspension of all committees across the country except the central committee of the Baischa movement. Since then, accounts of various misdeeds, including extortion, by Baischa leaders and activists across the country have started to emerge one by one.