Extortion case involving Shammi: Apu, former head of Gonotantrik Chhatra Sangsad, is currently in custody for his alleged involvement
In a shocking turn of events, Jane Alam Apu, a former student leader of Bangladesh Gonotantrik Chhatra Sangsad, has been arrested and placed on a four-day remand by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Detective Branch. The arrest came in an extortion case involving demands from the family of former Awami League MP Shammi Ahmed.
The alleged extortion involved a sum of Tk 50 lakh, with Tk 10 lakh reportedly taken from the complainant on July 17. The investigation aims to recover the remaining money and identify additional suspects.
Apu, along with several other accused, is alleged to have identified themselves as coordinators of an Anti-Discrimination Student Movement during the extortion attempts. The other accused include Abdur Razzak bin Solaiman (alias Riyad), Ibrahim Hossain (alias Munna), Sakadaun Siam, Sadman Sadab, and a minor. All of these individuals were leaders of the SAD and the Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad and were subsequently expelled from their organisations.
Apu was arrested from the Wari area and was later placed on a four-day remand for further investigation. The court rejected bail requests, and the police confirmed recovering a motorcycle allegedly purchased with extortion money belonging to Apu.
During the court proceedings, Apu denied the allegations, claiming harassment due to his association with Riyad. He asserted that he and the others went to the location at Riyad's request and were unaware of any extortion plot. Apu claimed that only his co-accused, Riyad, was involved in the extortion.
The remand application stated that the accused used the country's prevailing situation to threaten people for extortion. Fearing for his safety, Shammi's husband paid them Tk10 lakh. The state prosecutor opposed the bail request.
The case was filed by Siddique Abu Zafar against six named individuals. The police have already seized four bank cheque pages valued at Tk2.5 crore and recovered Tk2,98,000 in cash from Riyad's possession at two different locations. The remand was granted by Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Nazmin Akhter following a hearing.
The remand application claimed that the accused are members of an organised extortion ring. Complaints in various police stations from other victims and the circulation of their activities on social media support this claim. On 26 July, when the group returned again, Zafar called the police. A police team apprehended five individuals at the scene, including Riyad, but Apu managed to escape.
The group allegedly threatened Shammi Ahmed's husband, Siddique Abu Zafar, and demanded Tk50 lakh and jewellery on 17 July. The incident involved a group of individuals, including Riyad and Apu, who identified themselves as "coordinators" of the Students Against Discrimination.
This ongoing investigation sheds light on a darker side of student politics in Bangladesh, with multiple accused in custody and the case revolving around extortion demands totaling Tk 50 lakh from a former MP’s family, linked to a broader anti-discrimination student movement facade.
In light of the ongoing investigation, the darker side of student politics in Bangladesh is under scrutiny as accused members of an anti-discrimination student movement, including Jane Alam Apu, are implicated in a Tk 50 lakh extortion case. The case, involving general-news such as politics and crime-and-justice, also involves a former student leader of Bangladesh Gonotantrik Chhatra Sangsad being arrested and placed on remand for allegedly identifying as coordinators of the Students Against Discrimination in the attempt to extort money from the family of former Awami League MP Shammi Ahmed.
