businessnews24bd.com :
Several hundred traders and shopkeepers formed a human chain in the port city Saturday to lodge their protest against the criminal activities of one Mizanur Rahman Bappi of West Mohra ward.
About 300 shopkeepers and traders formed the human chain in front of the Chittagong Press Club demanding immediate arrest of the culprits blessed by him.
The traders said they were just being held hostage by the cohorts of Bappi who was also getting involved in criminal activities and thus tarnishing the image of the local ruling alliance lawmaker.
The traders also held a press conference later at the Chittagong Press Club. It was addressed, among others, by Mohra ward councilor Md Azam.
Mr Azam told the press that the area had long been a very peaceful one. But now the people of the ward were just helpless, he added.
Bappi and his accomplices recently unleashed a reign of terror by extorting money regularly from the traders and shopkeepers, he alleged.
In a written statement Md Saifuddin, who fell victim to torture by Bappi, said he had been taken to the den of Bappi near the Janalihat Railway Station and Tk 0.5 million (5 lakh) had been realised for his release. All people of the area had also protested against the torture he suffered during the Eid-ul-Fitr, he said.
He also said Bappi, who introduces himself as a Juba League leader of Kalurghat-Mohra, Kamal Bazar, Kazirhat and Kaptai Raster Matha areas, runs a group of criminals implicated in different cases filed with the local police.
He further said Bappi had been grabbing land of the Bangladesh Railway (East), extorting money, trading in banned drugs and also grabbing land of the poor people of the area.
“We seek help from the Prime Minister as Bappi is a notorious criminal and he is doing criminal activities under the umbrella of the ruling alliance, although he is not even a ward level member of Juba League, Chhatra League or Awami League” he said.
Zaved Hossain Chowdhury, Nurus Safa, Kazi Mohiuddin, Shahabuddin, Nurul Absar, Sirajul Islam, Arshad Chowdhury, Md Ibrahim, Sanuara Begum and Nurul Amin from the local Awami League and BNP were alos present at the press conference.
