Published : 26 Jul 2025, 12:19 AM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 01:34 PM
A man has accused several policemen of harassment and negligence after he went to Dhaka’s Mohammadpur Police Station to file a complaint about the theft of his mobile phone.
The complainant, Ahmad Wadud, said after he filed the report, Ali Iftekhar Hasan, the station’s chief, told him: “Even though I am the OC, I use this cheap phone. If you walk around with such an expensive phone, you will definitely get robbed!”
Wadud alleged that police were uncooperative when he first arrived, as there were “no extra people to write a complaint”.
Later, when he was given paper, a policeman told him, “I don’t have a pen.”
The incident came to light on Thursday night after Wadud described it on social media.
Following the post, four policemen — Sub-Inspector Jasim Uddin, Assistant Sub-Inspector Md Anarul Islam, and constables Md Majedur Rahman and Md Shihab Uddin Shihab — were withdrawn from duty over “negligence of duty,” according to Jewel Rana, additional deputy commissioner of Mohammadpur Zone.
On Friday afternoon, police said they recovered Wadud’s phone and arrested three suspects in a raid in the Beribandh area of Mohammadpur.
The arrested men were identified as Yusuf, 26, described as the ringleader, along with Siam, 23, and Zahurul, 22.
Asked about the OC’s behaviour, Rana said the matter was under investigation and that “necessary action will be taken after the investigation”.
Wadud had posted details of the incident on Facebook at 11pm on Thursday, titling his post “One hour with Mohammadpur Police Station.”
He wrote that robbers had taken his mobile phone, wallet and money, and struck him with a machete. Although injured, he said the wound was not serious. His wife, who was with him but at a distance, was unharmed.
Wadud said the scene of the robbery was just three minutes from the police station, and he arrived there with his wife within five minutes.
“I went straight to the duty officer’s room and told him that I was robbed at the intersection of three roads 5 minutes ago. They told me to wait a moment.”
He wrote that the duty officer, Jasim, was seated beside a plainclothes policeman who was writing a complaint. That officer pointed at Wadud and said sternly, “Button your shirt.”
“I immediately noticed that one of my buttons had come off when the robbers hit me,” Wadud wrote.
“I was hurt by the officer's words, but I didn't get into any trouble and said sorry and put it back on. Then he asked me to put on all my buttons. Only my tie button, the button closest to my neck, was unbuttoned, which we usually never wear. I said, "Please take my complaint.”
When the policemen said there was no one to write the complaint, Wadud offered to write it himself and asked for paper and a pen.
He wrote that police gave him paper but said, “There are no extra pens.” He noted that many pens were visible.
“My wife looked through her bag and gave me a pen. I wrote my complaint with it,” he wrote.
“The duty officer did not give me any copy of my complaint. He just gave me a phone number and said, “This is ASI Anarul's number. He is busy at Nobodoy Housing now. You talk to him on the phone.”
Wadud said he told police that he believed the robbers were still nearby and asked officers to go to the scene with him immediately.
He recalled that Jasim became annoyed and told him, “This is not possible. No one else can go to that area except me. This is my area. You leave here now. You will not find the kidnappers there.”
Wadud said when he requested again, Jasim said, “Don't you have any common sense? Will the kidnapper be sitting for you and me?”
His post continued, “I still requested him, since he is nearby, to consider the matter once.”
“I came out of there and went to OC's room,” Wadud wrote.
“OC Iftekhar Hasan was in a white uniform. I told him about the robbery. He said, “Even though I am the OC, I use this cheap phone, if you walk around with such an expensive phone, you will definitely get robbed!”
Wadud added, “I did not reply to his words. I requested him to take some action regarding my robbery right away. He contacted ASI Anarul and asked me to wait for him at the bus stand intersection.”
Wadud said he went to three different locations, including the Mohammadpur bus stand, and eventually met Anarul.
“There were seven to eight other policemen with him. Anarul heard me and said, “Let's go to the spot".
“I went to the spot with him in a car. About 40 minutes passed by then.”
“However, after going to the spot, I saw the robbers sitting there. Even though I showed them from a distance, Anarul did not go there and went to another place a little further away and talked to some people. When he returned a couple of minutes later, I showed Anarul the attackers again.”
“But Anarul did not go there and stood with his hands on his waist. At that time, the terrorists saw me with police and slowly started moving away from the scene. I looked at Anarul in surprise!”
After the suspects left, Wadud said Anarul told him, “They will not be found now. We will come here late at night and conduct a raid. You go home now.”
Attempts to reach Mohammadpur Police Station OC Ali Iftekhar Hasan by phone were unsuccessful.
