Chhatra League trio arrested for extortion in Faridpur

Police arrested three Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) men including two leaders on charge of extortion from a road construction contractor on Thursday.

The arrestees were identified as Saltha upazila unit BCL Vice Presidents Imamul Khan, Abu Musa Prince, and activist Jasim Molla.

They were sent to jail through a Faridpur court on Friday, said Md Sadik Khan, officer-in-charge (OC) of Saltha Police Station.

According to the case statement and locals, a contractor called ‘Tasa Construction’ was carrying out carpeting work on a 2-kilometer stretch of road in the Saltha College Road area.

A group of youths numbering eight to ten allegedly led by the BCL leaders accosted a trolley driver who was engaged in supplying construction materials for the road, and asked him to pay Tk 1 lakh.

As he was unable to pay up, the BCL men beat him up and halted the development work.

On information, police rushed to the spot, arrested the BCL men and brought them to the station.

Contractor Shahidul Islam of Tasa Construction said the youths were asking for Tk 1 lakh for a Cox’s Bazar tour after halting the vehicles carrying construction materials. Earlier the youths were also given Tk 5000.

Upazila unit BCL President Roymohon Roy said they had heard about the matter and would form a three-member probe committee to look into it

Organizational action will be taken against the accused if the allegations are found to be true, he said.

OC Sadik said they arrested the youths on charge of extortion after an FIR was lodged in this connection, but he could not confirm the arrestees' ties to BCL, reports UNB.