RAB has confessed to ‘being misled by false information’ while arresting Ganabhaban protester Abul Kalam Azad’s cousin Sohel Mahmud in a drugs bust.
Narayanganj-based RAB-11 handed over Bappi Poddar of Metro Knitting and Dyeing and two others to police on Monday night accusing them of giving ‘false information’ to frame Sohel.
Bappi, who was overseeing the setting up of a new factory of the firm, is a nephew of Metro owner Amal Poddar. The two others –Solaiman Hossain and Billal Hossain – are a contractor and a worker of the factory, respectively.
Amal Poddar allegedly encroached on two pieces of land of Azad’s family and refused to pay for another piece he had bought from them to set up the new factory – Panama Knittex – at Sadipur.
After Azad had stood in front of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s official residence Ganabhaban for hours on Aug 2 to draw her attention to the matter, the Prime Minister’s Office intervened and Amal paid up the money.
RAB-11 had also been criticised when its investigation found involvement of then battalion commander Tarek Sayeed Mohammad and two other top officials in the murder of seven in Narayanganj last year.
Twenty-five RAB officials were accused of murdering the seven, including ward councillor Nazrul Islam, in return for money taken from Awami League leader Nur Hossain.
File Photo
On the very night of Azad’s demonstration on Aug 2, RAB arrested Sohel allegedly with contraband Yaba pills. Azad accused the elite force officials of assaulting him.
He further alleged that the RAB was being used to harass them.
RAB-11 Commander Lt Col Anwar Latif Khan had told bdnews24.com: “My team found Yaba in his pocket. The pills were also found in his house. The drive was conducted in presence of neighbours and relatives.”
“We didn’t go there to settle any issue regarding land. That’s not our job. We went to catch an accused with Yaba,” he had added.
But on Monday night, his unit’s Deputy Additional Director (DAD) Maksudur Rahman, who had filed the case against Sohel under the Narcotics Control Act, came up with a different statement while handing Bappi, Solaiman and Billal over to police.
DAD Rahman in the compliant said the trio framed Sohel by providing false information.
He said Bappi paid ‘Almas’, the manager of King’s Confectionary adjacent to the new factory of Amal, one ‘Ismail’, worker Billal, and local ‘Oliullah’ to tip off the RAB with ‘false information’.
The RAB official, however, claimed Sohel demanded money as ‘commission’ from Solaiman, who got the work to fill up the new factory site with sand.
DAD Rahman said, “Azad’s father Abdul Khalek, instigated by nephew Sohel, was not registering the sale of the land to Amal. Sohel demanded commission of the money of the sale from Solaiman.
“He told him that they would have to buy any other piece of land only through him. Solaiman and Sohel had altercations over the issue and there had been arbitration.”
Then Solaiman contacted Almas of King’s Confectionary beside the Panama Knittex, the RAB official said.
“Solaiman and Almas planned to teach Sohel a lesson. Solaiman, following the plan, discussed the matter with Bappi who paid him Tk 8,000 at once on July 31 and Tk 16,000 more at his office on that night.
“After some days, Solaiman paid Tk 28,000 to Almas from Tk 44,000 he got to fill sand in the land when Almas revealed the plan to frame Sohel through the RAB,” he said.
RAB’s Rahman said Billal and Oliullah bought and planted the Yaba tablets on Sohel and his house following Almas’ plan.
“Almas bought 370 pieces of Yaba through worker Billal. Solaiman, as per the plan, put 100 pieces into a packet of cigarette on Aug 2 afternoon and asked Billal to lead RAB officials to Sohel after planting it in his pocket,” he said.
“Two plainclothesmen, following the tip-off by Solaiman, asked Billal about Sohel and he led them to him around 9pm. They then detained Sohel and started walking away.
“Billal put the packet in Sohel’s pocket at the time. Later, my force led by myself (DAD Rahman) searched Sohel and found the tablets,” he said.
“King’s Confectionary manager Almas planted the remaining 270 pieces in Sohel’s house through local resident Oliullah. Almas then informed RAB about the pills and the RAB seized the Yaba pills from the house,” he added.
In the complaint, the RAB official asked police to take action against Bappi, Solaiman and Billal as per law for harassing Sohel by giving RAB false information.
Bappi found 15 days after ‘detention’
After Azad alleged harassment, people identifying themselves as law enforcers allegedly picked up Bappi and Solaiman on Aug 9.
Bappi’s father Prodip Kumar Poddar filed a General Diary at Sonargaon Police Station later on the day, saying people on an ash-coloured microbus picked up his son and Solaiman from in front of his house.
Prodip said he got no information about them when he contacted RAB and police.
DAD Rahman, in the complaint he filed, said Bappi and the two others were arrested on Monday afternoon.
After picking up ward councillor Nazrul Islam and six others last year, the then RAB-11 commander Tarek Sayeed denied the allegation.
The investigation by the force later found he ordered the murder of the seven.
Sonargaon Police Station OC Md Manjur Quader told bdnews24.com Bappi, Billal and Solaiman were sent to a court on Tuesday morning after the RAB handed them over on Monday.
Solaiman later confessed at the Narayanganj Magistrate Chandni Rupam’s court to the crime.
A police petition seeking remand of Bappi was not heard.
Source: Bd news24