PBI to Investigate Savar Sub-Inspector Over Extortion Allegations

A senior judicial court in Dhaka has ordered the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to initiate a formal inquiry into Sub-Inspector Mohammad Neyamat Ullah of Savar Model Police Station following allegations of bribery, extortion, and physical abuse.

The order was issued on Sunday afternoon, 16 August, by Dhaka Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Md Mahabubur Rahman. Accepting the formal complaint, the magistrate directed the PBI to assign a senior officer to conduct a thorough investigation and submit a detailed report to the court. Advocate S. H. Krishna, representing the complainant, confirmed the judicial decision following the hearing.

The case was brought by Suraiya Begum, 54, a resident of the Paschim Rajashon neighborhood in Savar. In her petition, Sub-Inspector Neyamat Ullah is named as the primary accused alongside two identified co-conspirators and seven to eight unidentified individuals.

According to the case statement, the accused officers and their accomplices had been demanding substantial sums of money from the complainant’s son, Shamim Reza, over an extended period. When Shamim refused to comply with the extortion demands, suspects allegedly attacked, vandalised, and ransacked his commercial establishment, forcibly seizing cash during the raid.

The situation escalated when Shamim was arrested in connection with a separate case and taken to Savar Model Police Station. The lawsuit alleges that while in custody, Sub-Inspector Neyamat Ullah threatened him with severe physical and psychological torture during interrogation unless a bribe of 20 lakh taka was paid. The officer is also accused of coercing the family into handing over two high-end iPhones. Prior to Shamim’s formal arrest, the complainant claims to have paid 4.5 lakh taka across two instalments under intense intimidation.

The complaint further details that upon arresting Shamim, Sub-Inspector Neyamat Ullah misappropriated 3,38,000 taka in cash and a gold ring found in the detainee’s possession. When family members subsequently challenged the seizure, the officer reportedly returned the mobile phones but intensified pressure on the relatives, threatening further legal complications to extract additional funds.

Sub-Inspector Neyamat Ullah has faced growing scrutiny in recent weeks following multiple public allegations of corruption, extortion, and abuse of power within the Savar police precinct. Despite several written complaints lodged by local residents with police hierarchy and widespread coverage in national news outlets, the officer had remained in his post without administrative sanction. Faced with a lack of internal redress, the aggrieved family opted to seek judicial intervention.

Court sources confirmed that Suraiya Begum appeared before the Savar Cognisance Court on Sunday to record her statement under Section 200 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. After evaluating the sworn testimony and primary documentation, the magistrate expressed satisfaction with the prima facie evidence and formally assigned the case to the PBI for an independent probe.