Ten Barisal City policemen suspended for raising funds to bribe officials for promotion

Ten members of Barisal Metropolitan Police have been suspended for allegedly raising funds to bribe ministry officials for getting promotions.

A total of 230 BMP members have been denied promotion despite qualifying for it after sitting departmental examinations a year ago.

Departmental inquiries found that 10 of them raised a ‘bribery fund’ from the members to secure promotion.

BMP Commissioner Shaibal Kanti Chowdhury said the 10 were suspended after primary evidence of the 'fundraising’ was found.

They are Assistant Sub-inspector Anisuzzaman, Monir Hossain and ‘Hanif’, Nayek Kabir Hossain, drivers Shahidul Islam, Bablu Zomaddar and Dolon Boral, Constable Taposh Kumar and ration keepers Abbas Uddin and Arifur Rahman.

Chowdhury said on Monday the BMP had was faxed suspension order signed by the additional deputy inspector general (discipline) at the Police Headquarters in Dhaka.

He said the BMP had applied to the headquarters, seeking 5,090 more personnel for the city police.

Altogether 805 posts were created following the application but no appointment was made until now, he said.

The BMP chief said some of the members who qualified for promotion were raising funds to bribe ministry officials to move up the ladder.

They raised Tk 7.7 million by collecting Tk 30,000 to Tk 50,000 from each member, he said.

Chowdhury said they deposited the money in an account with Dutch-Bangla Bank’s Barisal branch opened jointly by Anisuzzaman, Kabir Hossain and Zomaddar.

He said the BMP had withdrawn Tk 6 million from the account after coming to know about it.

After learning of the fund from the Police Headquarters, the BMP on June 13 constituted a three-member committee headed by Deputy Commissioner Shoeb Ahmed to probe the matter.

The Police Headquarters formed another committee on June 17 over the matter.

The 10 members admitted to raising the money.