Bangladeshi Businessman Brutally Assaulted Following Extortion Refusal

A local businessman in Bera, Pabna, sustained life-threatening injuries after allegedly being abducted and brutally assaulted by a regional Shromik Dal leader and his associates over a refused extortion demand of 300,000 taka (£1,950). The victim, identified as 40-year-old Mijanur Rahman, had both a hand and a leg broken during the assault, which took place on Tuesday afternoon. Following his rescue, Rahman was admitted to Pabna General Hospital in a critical condition later that evening. A formal criminal case was filed with the Bera Police Station on Wednesday.

Rahman, the son of Monjel Khan, resides in Ward 8 of the Bera Municipality and operates local hotel and transport businesses. The primary accused, 35-year-old Ripon Sordar, serves as the organisational secretary of the Santhia Upazila branch of the Shromik Dal—the labour wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Sordar is the son of Pasha Sordar, hailing from the Koromja Sordarpara village in Santhia.

Abduction and Torture at Local Association Office

According to case documents and local sources, Rahman and his brother, Golam Mostafa, have been constructing a market complex near the C&B bus stand area in Bera Municipality. On 19 June, Sordar reportedly arrived at the construction site with an entourage, demanding 300,000 taka from the brothers. He threatened them with death if the sum was not paid within three days.

When the businessmen steadfastly refused to comply with the extortion demand, Sordar and his accomplices arrived at the scene on motorcycles at approximately 10:30 am on Tuesday. They forcefully abducted Rahman, transporting him to the nearby Santhia Upazila. There, he was confined inside the office of Mohorom Sordar, the president of the Koromja Bazar Merchant Association.

The victim’s family alleged that Rahman was subjected to inhumane torture inside the merchant association office. Attackers repeatedly struck him with iron rods and metal pipes, fracturing his hand and leg. Severely injured and covered in blood, he was initially rescued and taken to the Bera Upazila Health Complex. As his physical state deteriorated rapidly, doctors transferred him to Pabna General Hospital for emergency specialist care. Following the incident, his brother filed a written complaint naming Sordar and several unidentified accomplices as defendants.

History of Extortion and Military Intervention

This is not the first time the family has faced threats from this group. Rahman’s family revealed that shortly after the major political transition in Bangladesh on 5 August 2024, a syndicate led by Sordar and Mohorom Sordar had demanded a substantial sum of protection money from them. Left with no alternative, the family sought assistance from the Bangladesh Army.

Military personnel subsequently summoned the accused individuals and forced them to sign a written undertaking. The document explicitly stated that the signatories would bear full legal and personal responsibility for any future harassment or untoward incidents involving the family. Whilst the situation remained stable for several months following the military intervention, the syndicate recently renewed their extortion attempts, culminates in Tuesday’s violent assault.

Sordar has strongly denied the extortion and abduction allegations, claiming that the family’s previous complaint to the military was found to be groundless. He instead accused the businessmen of continuing to behave like affiliates of the ousted Awami League regime. He did, however, partially admit to the physical violence, stating that his supporters had merely given the businessman “one or two blows.”

Nayan Kumar Sarker, the Officer-in-Charge of Bera Model Police Station, confirmed that a regular criminal case regarding the assault on Rahman was registered on Wednesday. Police authorities have already initiated a thorough investigation into the matter, and strict legal action will be taken against the perpetrators as soon as the inquiry concludes.