Extortionists Threaten Victims With Death After Warehouse Closure

A group of local individuals has issued fresh death threats against business owners in the Uttara area of Dhaka for initiating legal proceedings over extortion, physical assault, and attempted murder. Consequently, a female victim, identified as 40-year-old Asiya Afsana Sultana, along with her family members, has filed a General Diary (GD) with the Uttara West Police Station to document the ongoing threats to their lives.

Concurrently, serious allegations have been raised regarding the failure of law enforcement personnel to apprehend the primary accused individual listed in the First Information Report (FIR), 50-year-old Alfaz Uddin, despite his continuous public presence. Alfaz Uddin, who reportedly has multiple extortion allegations pending against him, serves as the president of the Dhaka North City Corporation Ward No. 51 unit of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Identity of the Accused Individuals

The formal police complaint explicitly names several individuals alongside the primary suspect. The listed defendants in the criminal case include:

• Alfaz Uddin (50)

• Soleman (42)

• Aulad (45)

• Salam (38)

• Rahul (38)

• Masud (38)

• Heera (38)

• Jewel Raj (38)

• Al-Amin (35)

• Sohag Khan (37)

In addition to these ten named suspects, the case encompasses approximately 15 to 20 further unidentified accomplices. Although the police have successfully apprehended four individuals linked to the incident, the principal perpetrators remain at large, generating significant anxiety within the local business community.

Account of the Armed Assault on Furniture Business

According to the details recorded in the FIR filed by Asiya Afsana Sultana, the accused individuals have been using political influence to exert dominance, issue threats, and conduct targeted assaults to extort money from local enterprises. The systematic harassment culminated in a direct demand for 5 lakh Bangladeshi Taka (BDT) in extortion money from Asiya’s family.

When the business owners refused to comply with the illicit demand, the suspects retaliated. On the evening of 7 May, the gang, armed with domestic weapons, launched a violent raid on the family’s furniture showroom located on Janapad Road in Sector 11 of Uttara. During the assault, the perpetrators severely beat Asiya’s husband, Aminul Islam Bappy, in an apparent attempt on his life. When Asiya attempted to intervene and protect her husband, she was also physically assaulted by the attackers, who issued explicit death threats to the entire family before departing.

Separate Extortion and Closure of Commercial Warehouse

The investigation has revealed that Asiya’s family is not the sole target of this organised group. Another prominent local businessman, Atikur Rahman, who operates Royal Sign Logistics (BD) Limited, reported that Alfaz Uddin demanded an extortion payment of 20 lakh BDT from him. Upon his refusal to pay, Rahman was subjected to repeated death threats, prompting him to file a separate General Diary at the Uttara West Police Station.

On the morning of 5 May, Alfaz Uddin, accompanied by a group of associates, went to Rahman’s commercial facility located on Road 17, Sector 14, within the jurisdiction of the Uttara West Police Station, and unlawfully placed locks on the warehouse doors. The perpetrators warned Rahman that if the locks were removed without the payment of the 20 lakh BDT extortion demand, the entire warehouse would be set on fire. More than ten days have elapsed since the incident, and the warehouse remains locked, severely disrupting business operations. Rahman has expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of effective intervention by the local police.

Administrative and Political Responses

When questioned about the failure to arrest the primary named suspects, the Sub-Inspector (SI) and investigating officer of the case at Uttara West Police Station, Mohammad Abu Sayeed, stated that four suspects had already been taken into custody. He assured that law enforcement operations are actively continuing to apprehend the remaining individuals named in the FIR. Local residents, however, allege that the suspects frequently leverage their political affiliations within the BNP to evade arrest and maintain territorial dominance despite multiple pending cases.

Addressing the broader law enforcement strategy against extortion, the Acting Commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), S. N. Nazrul Islam, asserted that the police maintain a zero-tolerance policy. He stated that anti-extortion drives are continuously underway across various sectors of the capital, resulting in daily arrests, and that targeted operations are being executed to capture individuals facing specific, verified criminal charges.

Furthermore, the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Dhaka-18 constituency, S. M. Jahangir Hossain, commented on the situation, confirming that explicit directives have been issued to the law enforcement agencies. The lawmaker emphasised:

“The law enforcement agencies have been clearly instructed to take necessary legal action against any individual committing crimes, regardless of their political party affiliation or institutional position. No one should be allowed to escape justice simply by claiming an association with the BNP. We are maximumly focused on ensuring our party activists do not engage in criminal behaviour, and we are actively taking disciplinary measures if anyone misuses the party name to commit an offence.”