Staff Reporter :
Masud Sikder, Sub-Inspector (SI) of Mohammadpur Police Station under Dhaka Metropolitan Police, has been closed for allegedly torturing a Bangladesh Bank official and threatening him to death on Saturday night.
Hafiz Al Faruq, Investigation Officer (IO) of the incident and Assistant Commissioner of Tejgaon Division, said Masud Sikder was closed on Monday morning. Masud was also attached to Tejgaon Division for fair investigation, he said. The IO said an investigation has been initiated in this connection and departmental action will be taken against him if he is found guilty. Golam Rabbi, Assistant Director of Bangladesh Bank, filed a complaint with the Mohammadpur Police Station in this connection on Sunday morning.
In his complaint, Rabbi said, “He was returning to his Kalyanpur residence after visiting a relative and he stopped at an ATM booth in Mohammadpur’s Tajmahal Road to withdraw some money around 11:00pm on Saturday. When he was exiting from the booth, three to four young men dragged him to a police van waiting nearby. There, SI Masud took away his folder and other documents before demanding that he pay a further Tk 5 lakh to the SI. After the bank official refused, the policeman allegedly threatened to kill him by crossfire near the Beribadh area.”
He claimed that Masud also tortured him physically and mentally for five hours inside a police van in the Tajmahal Road even after finding about his identity.
Sub-Inspector Masud did not take him to a police station but kept him confined in his vehicle in a bid to extort money on Saturday night, Rabbi further claimed.
“The SI first asked me ‘how much my job was worth’. He then calculated it himself to be Tk 25 to 30 lakh,” said Rabbi. “You are in a good position. So, pay us Tk 5 to 6 lakh and go away. Otherwise, a case will be filed against you for carrying Yaba pills,” Rabbi quoted the SI as saying.
The cops took Tk 10,000 and a debit card from him and told him to call relatives for arranging the money, he further alleged.
SI Masud also admitted to OC of Mohammadpur Police Station Jamal Uddin Mir that he had detained Rabbani, but denied claims of torture.
