A Dhaka court has sentenced a superintendent of railway police (SP) to life in jail in an extortion case. Judge Md Motahar Hossain of the third Special Judge’s Court handed down the verdict on Thursday. Superintendent of Railway Police Mostafa Kamal, now posted in Syedpur, was awarded 30 years imprisonment for breaching faith as a public servant and another five years in jail for corruption. The SP was also fined Tk 30 lakh and if he fails to pay the money, he has to serve one more year in jail, the court said.
However, the court acquitted retired Inspector Wahid Miah, another accused in the case, from all the charges.
Both the accused were on bail. The court sent Mostofa Kamal to jail after the verdict. 10 years after the filing of the case, Judge Md Motahar Hossain of Special Judge Court 3 pronounced the verdict on Thursday noon.
Salauddin Ahmed, chairman and managing director of SA Paribahan, filed the case against SP Mostafa Kamal and Inspector Wahid Miah on Nov 20, 2003 accusing the policemen of demanding Tk 50 lakh in bribe.
According to the case statement, police detained Salauddin along with his office staff in Habiganj on his way to Sylhet with Tk 20 lakh in cash on December 22, 2002.
Later, SP Mostafa Kamal ordered the on duty policemen to file a money laundering case against Salauddin and his staff. The accused had demanded Tk 50 lakh from the detainees in exchange of their release and to have the case withdrawn.
On April 4, 2010, a Dhaka court framed charges against Mostafa Kamal and Wahid.
-With The Independent input
