Extortion allegation!: SP Harun under surveillance

Staff Reporter :
The law enforcers and Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) have taken surveillance on Narayanganj Superintendent of Police (SP) Harun-Ur-Rashid, who allegedly demanded extortion from one Showkat Aziz Russell.
“The police official will face action if the allegation will be proved,” Home Ministry sources said.
An ACC panel has started the investigation against him after publishing of the media report, the anti corruption body sources said.
“Harun demanded Tk 5 crore from my son. As he refused, Harun framed false cases against my son,” said Showkat’s father MA Hashem, who is also the founder and chairman of Partex Group,” according to media reports.
Earlier on May 5 in 2016, Showkat sent letters to the President, Home Minister, the then Cabinet Secretary and chiefs of different intelligence and law enforcing agencies accusing Harun of demanding an extortion of Tk 5 crore from him.
In the letter, Showkat had alleged that a Sub-Inspector on May 3, 2016 called Ambar Denim Store manager Yeahia Babu on behalf of SP Harun and said, “SP Harun sir called me right now. He [Harun] told me to call Showkat’s men. I need money, send Tk 5 crore immediately.”
“Before this, SP Harun demanded Tk 5 crore twice after calling me to the Lamda Hall of Gulshan Club and Gulshan Kabab Factory Restaurant. He asked me to send the money in dollars to an address in America. At that time, he threatened to destroy my business house if I did not send the money,” read the letter.
An officer of Public Relations Department of Police Headquarters told The New Nation on Monday, “The transfer of Harun was as usual. No probe committee has been formed to probe the media report.”  
Harun-Ur-Rashid, superintendent of police (SP), Narayanganj district, was removed on Sunday amid allegations of picking up the family of a businessperson from Dhaka.
The SP has been asked to join Bangladesh Police headquarters with immediate effect, according to an order issued by the Public Security Division of the Home Ministry. The notification, however, did not specify any reason for the order.
Earlier on Saturday, Amber Group Chairman Showkat Aziz Russell alleged that his wife Farah Russell and son Anaf Aziz were picked up from their Gulshan residence by law enforcers for purposes of extortion.
He said policemen, some in uniform and some in plainclothes, picked them up in the early hours of Saturday.
He said they were picked up a day after the Narayanganj SP seized Russell’s car from Dhaka Club on October 31. Russell happens to be president of the Gulshan Club.
He said that SP Harun was behind the several above mentioned incidents since his company Amber Denim refused to pay the Police Superintendent TK 5 crore extortion money.
However, Gulshan Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) SM Kamruzzaman said they have no knowledge about Narayanganj police conducting any drives in Dhaka’s Gulshan.
Meanwhile, at a press conference on Saturday evening, police said they recovered bullets and liquor from the SUV early Saturday and detained three people, Farah, Anaf, and their driver Sumon.
DB personnel stopped the car in the Signboard area of Siddhirganj around 2:45am on Saturday and seized 28 bullets, 1,200 yaba tablets, 24 bottles of foreign liquor, 28 cans of beer, and Tk 22,380 in cash from the car, claimed former Narayanganj SP Harun, at a press briefing.
Later, police filed two cases under the Arms Act and the Narcotics Control Act with Siddhirganj Police Station on Saturday, while Farah and Anaf were released to M A Hashem, Russell’s father.
Neither SP Harun nor Dhaka Range Additional DIG Mahbubur Rahman were not available for comment, despite repeated phone calls.
Meanwhile, Showkat Aziz Russell was contacted regarding the matter, but his mobile phone was found switched off.