Mohammad Selim, Noakhali

BNP leader Shahjahan and his associates have been accused of demanding a ransom of Tk 5 lakh from a crab trader at Muktijoddha Bazar in Char Mozzamel of Tajumuddin Upazila in Bhola district bordering Noakhali.

The victim has alleged that there have also been incidents of attacks, vandalism and looting at business establishments after the extortion was not received.

These allegations were raised at a press conference organized at the crab shop of the victim businessman Md. Zahir in the Bhuiyar Hat area of Subarnachar upazila of Noakhali on Monday (August 3) night.

The victim Md. Zahir, his brother Md. Sohel, nephew Md. Russell, local residents Marjan Begum, Parveen Akhter, Mahima Khatun and members of the landless family of Char Mozzamel were present at the press conference.

The victim, Md. Zahir, said that he is a resident of Ekram Nagar, Purba Charbata Union, Subarnachar Upazila and is a crab trader by profession. For the past two years, he has been running a crab shop in Muktijoddha Bazar, Char Mozzamel, Tajumuddin Upazila, Bhola. Recently, Alamgir Majhi and Abbas Majhi, led by Tajumuddin's BNP leader Shahjahan, demanded a ransom of Tk 5 lakh from him. When he refused to pay the ransom, they became angry.

He alleged that on Thursday morning (July 30), Shahjahan and his associates went to his shop and demanded money from his brother Sohel and threatened that they would not allow him to do business if he did not pay.

Zahir claimed that on Saturday (August 1), at around 3 pm, Shahjahan and his associates, armed with country-made weapons, first went to his house and searched for him. When they could not find him, they beat up his neighbor Azhar Ahmed and his wife Noor Nahar. Later, they attacked the crab shop. Zahir's brother Sohel and nephew Russell were beaten and injured when they tried to stop them during the attack. He alleged that they broke open the cash register of the shop and looted 218,000 taka and 8 baskets of crabs. He also said that the terrorists locked the shop. The victims also claimed that they are currently unable to go to the business establishment due to fear of the terrorists.

The landless residents of Char Mozzamel, who were present at the press conference, complained that for a few days after August 5, 2024, peace prevailed in the area due to the presence of BNP leader Salahuddin Patwari. But later, after expelling him, Shahjahan and his men started extortion, terrorism and looting using the name of BNP.

The victims and locals have demanded exemplary punishment for those involved in the incident by arresting them and bringing them under the law. They have also sought the intervention of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, local MP and Speaker of the National Assembly Hafiz Uddin.