Student Leader Held in Extortion Case

A local student political leader has been arrested in Bangladesh on allegations of extortion after he reportedly threatened a businessman and demanded money by sending images of firearms and ammunition over a messaging platform.

Police confirmed the arrest of a man named Sabbir, who serves as the organisational secretary of a student wing unit in Barishal’s Banaripara Municipality (Ward No. 9). He was detained in connection with a case involving intimidation, extortion, and criminal threats.

According to investigators, the accused allegedly contacted a local electronics and mobile phone trader, Miraz, and demanded BDT 20,000 during the early hours of the third day of Eid. The businessman claimed that the suspect used WhatsApp to send photographs of a pistol and bullets in an attempt to intimidate him into paying the money. He further alleged that the accused issued threats of physical harm should he fail to comply.

Feeling threatened and distressed, the businessman later informed his family and subsequently lodged a general diary (GD) at Kotwali Model Police Station. Following the complaint, law enforcement officers launched an investigation and carried out a targeted overnight operation in Banaripara. Sabbir was arrested from his ancestral home late on 27 March.

Police stated that during the arrest, officers recovered a toy pistol and three cartridges from his possession. Authorities later clarified that the items used in the alleged intimidation were not real firearms but toy-like replicas. Nevertheless, they were seized and documented as evidence in the ongoing case.

On 28 March, police produced the accused before a court, which subsequently ordered his detention in jail pending further legal proceedings under extortion charges.

A senior officer from Kotwali Model Police Station confirmed that a formal case had been filed by the victim, who operates a mobile phone business in the Girdha Moholla area of the city. The officer added that the investigation is ongoing to determine whether others were involved in the incident or if similar intimidation cases are linked to the accused.

Case Overview

Police emphasised that although the weapons were found to be imitation items, the use of threatening imagery and coercion through digital communication forms the basis of the extortion case. Investigations remain underway as authorities examine the digital evidence and communication records linked to the accused.