Two assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) have been closed and an assistant commissioner (AC) withdrawn over allegations that a businessman and his friend were picked up from a residence and extorted Tk18 lakh and a substantial amount of cryptocurrency by threatening to implicate them in a gambling case.
The two ASIs are Bashir Uddin of CMP’s Lawful Intercepted Cell (LIC) and Sufian of the CMP ration store. AC Shariful Alam Sujon of the LIC has been withdrawn and attached to the Dampara police headquarters.
CMP Commissioner Hasan Md Shawkat Ali confirmed the matter to TBS at around 9:30pm yesterday (14 September).
“Two ASIs have been closed and attached to Dampara Police Lines over allegations of extorting money and cryptocurrency from a young man. The AC has also been attached to the Dampara police headquarters,” he said.
Deputy Commissioner Md Badiuzzaman is investigating the allegations, the commissioner said, adding that he had been asked to submit the investigation report quickly.
“Regardless of who is involved, action will be taken according to law if the allegations are proven through the investigation,” he said.
According to the allegations, a team of plainclothes police led by AC Shariful Alam picked up businessman Akhtaruzzaman Shakil, 27, and his friend Mansur Ali from a residence in K Block of Halishahar in the city on the morning of 4 September.
The two were allegedly taken to the LIC office along with a Toyota Corolla.
Shakil is a polypropylene (PP) granule trader in Khatunganj and also owns an agricultural farm in Patiya. His friend Mansur is involved in the automobile parts business.
The victims alleged that police seized their mobile phones and searched them before transferring personal information and photographs stored on the devices to another device.
They further alleged that they were threatened with having Shakil’s personal photographs made public and being implicated in a gambling case. They accused AC Shariful and ASI Bashir of issuing the threats.
Shakil alleged that he was forced to transfer $10,864 from his Binance account in three transactions through different channels, equivalent to around Tk13.25 lakh.
He also alleged that at around 10:40pm on 4 September, three constables took him to a bank booth near the CMP headquarters, where Tk4 lakh was withdrawn from his account in five transactions.
Another Tk80,000 was allegedly transferred from a mobile financial services account while he was at the LIC office, Shakil said.
The two victims also alleged that police personnel wrote down their names, addresses and phone numbers on a blank sheet of paper and made them sign it. They were later allegedly filmed.
They were released around midnight, but the following night, 5 September, police allegedly returned the private car and demanded another Tk5 lakh, according to the victims.
After the incident was reported in the media, the CMP commissioner formed a committee to investigate the allegations. Shakil said he later gave an oral statement to the committee.
Similar allegation of crypto extortion in 2024
A similar allegation of cryptocurrency extortion was made in Chattogram in 2024.
On 26 January that year, DB officials allegedly picked up freelancer Abu Bakar from the Bayezid Bostami area. He later alleged that police officers transferred bitcoin worth around Tk3 crore from his mobile phone after threatening to implicate him in a case and kill him in a “crossfire”.
Abu Bakar’s wife subsequently filed a case in court against eight police officers and others.
An internal CMP investigation later found the allegations to be true. The police officials concerned, including an inspector, were subsequently suspended and departmental cases were filed against them.
Cryptocurrency transactions are not authorised in Bangladesh. In a 2022 notice, Bangladesh Bank said virtual currencies were not approved by the central bank for settling transactions or investing under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947.
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