Robbery, leaked audio, 'bribery' and a spat between CID and DB officials

A returnee from Dubai was abducted and robbed by people posing as members of the police’s Detective Branch. In the investigation, DB found involvement of a sub-inspector of the police’s Criminal Investigation Department. The CID official now claims he has been framed as a leaked audio suggests DB took bribes during the investigation.

Liton Haiderand Golam Mortujabdnews24.com
Published : 8 Sept 2021, 09:33 PM
Updated : 9 Sept 2021, 09:28 AM

The Bangladeshi expatriate started a case at the Airport Police Station last year after he was allegedly beaten and robbed on Airport Road on Oct 20. Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s DB was put in charge of the inquiry.

According to the DB investigation, CID SI Aksadur Zaman and a microbus and three motorcycles requisitioned by the CID were involved in the robbery.

In the middle of this back-and-forth, an audio recording of a phone call between a man and a woman was released.

SI Aksadur claims the woman on the call is his wife Tahmina Akhtar, while the man is DB’s Assistant Deputy Commissioner Kaisar Rizvi Quraishi, the lead investigator of the case.

Kaisar, for his part, claims his voice has been faked in order to undermine the investigation.

The phone conversation mentions two separate transactions of Tk 12.8 million and Tk 1.4 million.

The woman is heard complaining that investigators did not deliver on their promise of not taking action against the suspects despite the “payment of bribery”.

“We are investigating the entire incident,” said AKM Hafiz Akhtar, additional commissioner of DMP’s DB.

DMP Commissioner Shafiqul Islam is aware of the bribery allegation and the matter will be investigated, Hafiz said. Shafiqul could not be reached for comment.

THE CASE

The plaintiff in the case, Roman Miah, runs a clothing store in Dubai.

Around 6:45am on Oct 20, he took an autorickshaw with his cousin Monir Hossain from Tikatuli to Shahjalal International Airport. Their vehicle was crossing under an overpass on Airport Road when its path was blocked by a microbus.

Two men got off the microbus, identifying themselves as members of the DB. They took Roman and his luggage aboard the microbus.

On the microbus they handcuffed and blindfolded him before he was beaten. They took away $5,000, 2,000 UAE dirhams and Tk 2,000 – all in cash, and his luggage, before uncuffing him, tying him with rope and dumping him on the side of the road near the Rampura Government Staff Quarters.

The DB arrested six people in connection with the incident. They are Mosharraf Hossain, a CID official, and Selim Molla, Ripon Morol, Amir Hossain Talukdar, Rizu Miah Sikdar and Hassan Raja.

All of them have received bail in the case and five have been released. Hassan remains in jail in another robbery case being investigated by the Police Bureau of Investigation.

Kaisar said CCTV camera footage and other technology were used to identify the microbus and the gang was uncovered from there, which led to the unveiling of Aksadur’s involvement.

Microbus driver Harunur Rasheed Sajeeb gave his testimony in court. He had been driving the microbus rented by CID in October last year and was called by SI Aksadur on Oct 19 and told to prepare for an ‘operation’ early the next day.

He said he took the microbus and picked up the other people before parking it in front of the Rajdhani Super Market in Tikatuli. They eventually followed the autorickshaw, stopped it and took another person into the microbus.

Hassan also gave a confessional statement in the case saying that he got on Aksadur’s microbus that day in Taltola. He said an auitorickshaw was detained near an overpass on Airport Road and a man was taken on board the microbus.

He said he was paid Tk 70,000 by Aksadur after the incident.

The DB sent a report to the CID and Police Headquarters based on their investigation.

Departmental action was taken against Aksadur and he was suspended, said CID spokesman Azad Rahman.

AKSADUR ALLEGES FRAMING

Aksadur told bdnews24.com DB personnel he knew detained some people and demanded money.

When the relatives of those people approached him, he mediated a payment, Aksadur said.

He says the relatives paid the DB officials Tk 12.8 million through him.

When a dispute arose over the money, the DB team detained him as well, according to the CID sub-inspector.

He alleges his wife paid DB ADC Kaisar Tk 1.4 million to free him.

Even after taking his money, the DB accused him in the robbery case and he got suspended, Aksadur said.

He claims he has filed complaints with the home minister, the inspector general of police and other senior officials.

KAISAR DENIES TAKING BRIBES

Ever since the DB found evidence linking Aksadur to the crime, he has been making requests and putting pressure on the investigators, said Kaisar.

Aksadur, as a member of the police, knew how cases worked and tried to disentangle himself, Kaisar said.

When he failed, he “forged” the audio in order to undermine the investigation and the case against him, according to the ADC of DB.

Kaisar claims the voice heard on the recording is “fabricated”.