News Desk :
Erfan Selim was “not so unruly, but he always had a group of rowdy accomplices on his tail”, the residents of Old Dhaka say as the news of jailing the son of MP Haji Mohammad Selim took many by surprise, reports bdnews24.com
A Rapid Action Battalion-run mobile court sentenced Erfan, the second son of Selim, to one year in prison for unlawful possession of arms and liquor after a raid on their house.
It came after a naval officer, Lt Md Wasif Ahmed Khan, accused Erfan and his associates of assaulting him after their car collided with Wasif’s motorcycle in Dhanmondi, A video of the incident lit up social media, sparking public outrage.
Haji Selim, who retained influence by using muscle power for a long time, owns a fortune. Erfan is a director of Haji Selim’s Madina Group. Erfan’s father-in-law Ekramul Karim Chowdhury is also an MP.
The sort of crime that landed Erfan in jail was nothing new for his associates who accompanied him on motorcycles, locals say.
People from the low-income bracket were often beaten by the cohorts of Erfan for obstructing their movement through the narrow lanes of Old Dhaka, the residents said.
All of the locals spoke to bdnews24.com on the condition of anonymity fearing repercussion.
“The Dhanmondi incident has not happened suddenly. It happened because they beat up some people in this neighbourhood,” said a man residing in Chawkbazar.
Erfan returned home seven years ago after studying business administration in Canada, according to a Madani Group official.
The MP’s son had been living in the area quietly until
the city corporation elections in which he fought and won as an independent councillor candidate in February.
“He used to stay at home and sometimes exploded firecrackers on the rooftop of Ashik Tower. He also used to enjoy the moments before Eid-ul-Azha with sacrificial animals,” said a businessman of Chawkbazar.
He said Erfan carelessly kept three cows on the street in front of Ashik Tower before Eid-ul-Azha, impeding traffic while exploding firecrackers on the rooftop.
“He was a bit careless. He used to travel with a convoy of motorcycles,” said the businessman. Another businessman said he saw the people with Erfan beating a milk vendor, an egg seller and a fruit trader on the street in front of the Shahi Mosque around one and a half months ago for obstructing their path.
“Erfan wouldn’t take part in the assault directly, but he appeared drunk,” the businessman said.
“He is a good boy. He studied abroad and cannot speak Bangla properly. He used to stay at home. But his association made him bad,” he added.
The businessman identified one of the associates of Erfan as Selim Babu, but he was unavailable on his mobile phone when bdnews24.com tried to reach him for comments about the allegations of unruliness.
A businessman in the Mitford Hospital area said Erfan was better than other councillors.
“He didn’t harass us (businesses), but the way he roamed about was not so good, probably because he is young,” he said.
He also blamed Erfan’s associates for his jailing.
Another resident of the area said Erfan would be surrounded by people who used to accompany Haji Selim.
The RAB recovered a hockey stick, a large knife, handcuffs, rope and some other materials that it said were used for torture at Ashik Tower.
Erfan Selim was “not so unruly, but he always had a group of rowdy accomplices on his tail”, the residents of Old Dhaka say as the news of jailing the son of MP Haji Mohammad Selim took many by surprise, reports bdnews24.com
A Rapid Action Battalion-run mobile court sentenced Erfan, the second son of Selim, to one year in prison for unlawful possession of arms and liquor after a raid on their house.
It came after a naval officer, Lt Md Wasif Ahmed Khan, accused Erfan and his associates of assaulting him after their car collided with Wasif’s motorcycle in Dhanmondi, A video of the incident lit up social media, sparking public outrage.
Haji Selim, who retained influence by using muscle power for a long time, owns a fortune. Erfan is a director of Haji Selim’s Madina Group. Erfan’s father-in-law Ekramul Karim Chowdhury is also an MP.
The sort of crime that landed Erfan in jail was nothing new for his associates who accompanied him on motorcycles, locals say.
People from the low-income bracket were often beaten by the cohorts of Erfan for obstructing their movement through the narrow lanes of Old Dhaka, the residents said.
All of the locals spoke to bdnews24.com on the condition of anonymity fearing repercussion.
“The Dhanmondi incident has not happened suddenly. It happened because they beat up some people in this neighbourhood,” said a man residing in Chawkbazar.
Erfan returned home seven years ago after studying business administration in Canada, according to a Madani Group official.
The MP’s son had been living in the area quietly until
the city corporation elections in which he fought and won as an independent councillor candidate in February.
“He used to stay at home and sometimes exploded firecrackers on the rooftop of Ashik Tower. He also used to enjoy the moments before Eid-ul-Azha with sacrificial animals,” said a businessman of Chawkbazar.
He said Erfan carelessly kept three cows on the street in front of Ashik Tower before Eid-ul-Azha, impeding traffic while exploding firecrackers on the rooftop.
“He was a bit careless. He used to travel with a convoy of motorcycles,” said the businessman. Another businessman said he saw the people with Erfan beating a milk vendor, an egg seller and a fruit trader on the street in front of the Shahi Mosque around one and a half months ago for obstructing their path.
“Erfan wouldn’t take part in the assault directly, but he appeared drunk,” the businessman said.
“He is a good boy. He studied abroad and cannot speak Bangla properly. He used to stay at home. But his association made him bad,” he added.
The businessman identified one of the associates of Erfan as Selim Babu, but he was unavailable on his mobile phone when bdnews24.com tried to reach him for comments about the allegations of unruliness.
A businessman in the Mitford Hospital area said Erfan was better than other councillors.
“He didn’t harass us (businesses), but the way he roamed about was not so good, probably because he is young,” he said.
He also blamed Erfan’s associates for his jailing.
Another resident of the area said Erfan would be surrounded by people who used to accompany Haji Selim.
The RAB recovered a hockey stick, a large knife, handcuffs, rope and some other materials that it said were used for torture at Ashik Tower.
