Unabated extortion before Eid

Extortion in the transport as well business sectors continues ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr, despite various measures taken by the law enforcing agencies, according the transport owners and businessmen of different city markets.
The transport owners and employees alleged that they have to pay tolls regularly to extortionists at different spots on the highway. Traffic police and the highway police get share of the toll, they alleged.
“We cannot ply our vehicles without giving tolls. Besides, police also take bribe from us regularly from long route vehicles,” said a transport owner wishing anonymity, adding, “We don’t even sit in our offices in a bid to avoid the extortionists,” he said.
He also said the extortionists collect toll from the Dhaka bound buses in the early morning, as they feel secure to collect tolls at that time.
According to the intelligence sources, extortion is going on not only in the transport sector, but all kinds of business establishments even luxurious shopping complexes to roadside vendors have to pay toll on daily basis.
Sources said toll collectors and all kinds of extortionists had been active in industrial and business establishments, shopping malls, bus terminals and construction and real estate sectors in the capital.
Several hundred incidents of extortion occur in the city every day, although most of the cases are not reported to the police stations for fear of criminal reprisal.
Over 200 businessmen, especially several shopping complexes located under Mirpur and Sutrapur, Lalbagh, Kotwali, Hajaribagh police stations filed 200 general diaries against notorious Shahadat-Khorshed gang and Dakat Shahid gang for extortion.
President of Dhaka Metropolitan Shop Owners Association M Helal Uddin Helal told, “Silent extortion has continued massively through SMS and cellular phones and the law enforcers failed to protect us from the clutch of extortionists.”
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner AKM Shahidul Haque told, “We always go into instant action as soon as we are informed of any extortion incident… some listed criminals residing abroad often demand toll through their local agents and we try to take legal action against them.”
On August 31, at a press briefing, inspector General of Police Nur Muhammad, told newsmen.
“‘There is extortion on the highways and some of the policemen among 1.25 lakh forces may be involved in the extortion. We have directed all the concerned police officers to take immediate measures to stop all kinds of extortion including political extortion.”
The police boss warned to take stern action against the police officers for their failure in doing so. 
 
Courtesy of The Independent