Freed on assurance of bringing money from parents
Rakib Ahammed
Nurul Alam was so happy when his only son Nazrul Islam made it to Dhaka University as Nazrul was on the path to becoming a magistrate, his father’s dream.
The dream of this farmer of Cox’s Bazar was shattered and he became almost speechless when Nazrul suddenly returned home. Nazrul told his father the whole tale of him being detained by his roommate for toll.
Nazrul, a third semester student of Islamic History, was blindfolded and tied to a chair an entire night in his room, room-232 of Kabi Jasim Uddin Hall of Dhaka University (DU).
His roommate Saiful Islam and a fake DU student Raj confined him to the room on January 18 demanding Tk 1.5 lakh toll from him.
The extortionists let Nazrul go home as he assured them of getting the money from his parents. Nazrul was too scared to inform the university authorities about the incident.
Nurul does not dare to send his precious son back to the university.
“I supported his studies amid hardship…just to see my son established. Now I would not let him study here. I have a piece of land and my son would work there,” said Nurul Alam in his local dialect as tears rolled down his cheeks.
The Daily Star correspondent met Nurul in Madhur Canteen on campus. He came to Dhaka after one of Nazrul’s friends requested him to make the journey and talk to journalists in Dhaka. Nurul left for Cox’s Bazar last evening. He did not want to stay in Dhaka.
Talking over telephone, Nazrul told this correspondent the horrifying details.
He said he was sleeping that night but he woke up to his roommate Saiful’s call. There was a group people in the room he did not know. He could only identify Raj, a “student” staying in the same hall.
One of them introduced himself as a “crime reporter” and told him that they had come to conduct a search of the room as they received a tip off.
Nazrul allowed them to search the room. They went straight to his bed and brought out a bag from under his bed. Then they brought out a gun from the bag.
Nazrul started panicking.
The whole thing was filmed by one of the unidentified people.
The “crime reporter” then made a cellphone call and he was heard saying, “Hello, OC [Officer-in-charge] speaking? We found an illegal firearm and I would tell you the details later.”
They forced Nazrul to write on a piece of paper that the gun was found under his bed and he is involved in the matter.
Saiful then told Nazrul to get some money for the “crime reporter” and his gang to avert arrest. Nazrul was then tied to a chair and blindfolded. They told him that he has to provide Tk 1.5 lakh.
The gang then left the room with the gun.
Nazrul said he got scared and did not tell anyone about the incident and left the dormitory the very next day. He, however, informed the dormitory provost of the matter on February 2 over telephone.
Sources inside the dormitory said Saiful himself staged the whole thing with the help of Raj and non-student Sumon.
Saiful told The Daily Star correspondent that he along with some people talked to Nazrul that night. He claimed Nazrul owed him Tk 1.2 lakh.
He said he gave Nazrul the money during the tenure of the caretaker government. He claimed that the then agriculture adviser is a relative of Nazrul and he gave Nazrul the money to ensure a job for a relative of a friend.
Nazrul refuted this and said Saifur is lying and everything that had happened that night was planed ahead.
Raj, whose full identity could not be confirmed, was found guilty of document forgery during the DU admission test last year.
Kabi Jasim Uddin Hall Provost Prof Akhtaruzzaman said a notice has been issued to Saiful asking him why his studentship at the DU should not be revoked for terrorising a student.
Hearing about the incident from The Daily Star correspondent AAMS Arefin Siddique, vice-chancellor of DU, said he would take all necessary steps to bring Nazrul back to the university and the authorities will also ensure his security.
Courtesy: thedailystar.net
