Staff Correspondent:

Police have been given four days to grill Jaane Alam Apu aka Kazi Gaurab Apu in custody over allegations that he had sought to extort Tk 5 million from a former MP in Dhaka’s Gulshan while claiming to be a coordinator of Students Against Discrimination.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Nazmin Akter issued the order on Saturday, according to Sub-Inspector Moktar Hossain of the prosecution police.

The case’s investigating officer, Inspector Mokhlesur Rahman from Gulshan Police Station, produced Apu before the court and petitioned for a 10-day remand to interrogate him.

Defence lawyer Md Shah Alam unsuccessfully sought bail for Apu.

Apu, a joint convenor of the Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad, was arrested in Wari on Thursday.

Police had previously arrested five people on Jul 26 in connection with the extortion of the family of former reserved women’s seat MP Shammi Ahmed in Gulshan-2.

Four of the arrestees are Abdur Razzak bin Sulaiman Riyad, 25, Md Sakadaun Siam, 22, Sadman Sadab, 21, and Ibrahim Hossain, 24. The fifth arrestee has not been named as they are a minor.

A court remanded four of them to police custody for questioning for five days.

Since the incident, SAD Dhaka Metropolitan unit Convenor Ibrahim and members Siam and Sadab have been permanently expelled from the organisation for violating its policies and breach of discipline.

SAD also suspended the activities of all committees across the country aside from its central committee.

Based on information obtained from questioning expelled Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad leader Riyad, cheques amounting to Tk 22.5 million were recovered from his house, DMP spokesman Talebur said.

The cheques, issued by a company called Trade Zone, include two for Tk 10 million each, and one each for Tk 1.5 million and Tk 1 million, he added.

The Trade Zone office is based in Kalabagan and reportedly linked to former Rangpur MP Abul Kalam Azad.

Police said Riyad coerced the company into handing over the cheques. Officials said Riyad had admitted he received Tk 500,000 from the Tk 1 million extorted from Shammi’s residence, with the remainder split among others in the group.

Gulshan police say they have recovered nearly Tk 300,000 from a rented flat in Badda belonging to Riyad.

Hafizur Rahman, chief of Gulshan Police Station, said it was part of the Tk 1 million “donation” taken from the Shammi’s home.