Police in Munshiganj have arrested a local youth political leader and an alleged associate after a kazi accused them of taking him away from his home, holding him against his will and obtaining Tk 2 lakh from him.
The arrests were made on Monday night, 5 October, in the Muktarpur area of Panchasar Union in Sadar upazila. The accused leader, Rajib Hossain, is a joint convener of the Sadar upazila unit of Jubo Dal and a former vice-president of the district unit of Chhatra Dal. The second person arrested was identified as Swapan.
According to the complaint and information provided by the victim’s family, Mohammad Habibur Rahman has worked as a kazi in the Katakhali area of Munshiganj for around 20 years. His work includes solemnising and registering marriages.
The alleged incident took place on Sunday afternoon. Habibur Rahman was at his home in Katakhali at around 2pm when Rajib, Swapan and several others reportedly arrived on three motorcycles. They allegedly told him they needed him to solemnise a marriage and first took him to his kazi office. From there, he was allegedly taken to Muktarpur against his will.
The complaint states that Habibur Rahman was then kept inside a room. Swapan allegedly told him that his wife, Iti, had divorced him at Habibur Rahman’s office on 1 October and that the kazi had registered the divorce.
The situation allegedly escalated when Habibur Rahman was threatened with death and asked to pay Tk 2 lakh. According to the complaint, he was told that failure to pay would result in his kazi licence being cancelled and that he could also be killed.
Fearing for his safety, Habibur Rahman agreed to provide the money, the complaint says. He subsequently withdrew Tk 2 lakh from his account at Agrani Bank’s Munshiganj branch and handed the money to the accused. His wife, Nasima Begum, was reportedly present at the time. Habibur Rahman was released after the payment was made, according to the family.
On Monday night, Habibur Rahman lodged a complaint with Munshiganj Sadar Police Station against Rajib, Swapan, Sohail of Katakhali and four to five unidentified people.
His son, journalist Nahid Hasan, said there had been attempts to suppress the incident and that the family was also warned about possible consequences if they filed a case. He said he did not want to focus on anyone’s political identity, but wanted a proper investigation into the allegation that his father had been forcibly taken away, threatened and made to hand over money.
Munshiganj Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Taslim Uddin confirmed the arrests. He said Rajib and Swapan were arrested on the basis of specific allegations and were subsequently sent to court on Tuesday afternoon.
The allegations against the accused have not yet been established in court. The police investigation is expected to examine the circumstances surrounding Habibur Rahman’s alleged detention, the claimed payment of Tk 2 lakh and the involvement of the other people named in the complaint. Any further legal action will depend on the findings of the investigation and the judicial process.
