Police have arrested Tanim Reza alias Bappi, an alleged shooter accused of extortion and firing in the capital's Motijheel area, along with four of his associates. Three foreign-made firearms and seven rounds of ammunition were recovered from them.

Police say they were involved in firing at the office of a leaseholder of a sacrificial cattle market (for Eid-ul-Azha) in South Kamalapur, and in threatening to kill him while demanding Tk 10 lakh in extortion over WhatsApp from a foreign number.

The information was given at a press conference at the DMP Media Centre on Minto Road on Saturday, 18 July, by Mohammad Osman Goni, Additional Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Estate, Development and ICT), who also holds additional charge of Crime and Operations.

The arrested are Tanim Reza alias Bappi, 46, Mohammad Jewel, 48, Shakil, 27, Md Manik Kazi, 50, and Rakibul Islam Bhuiyan alias Rizon, 35.

Osman Goni said that on 19 May criminals fired at the office of a cattle market leaseholder in South Kamalapur. On 15 May the same businessman had been sent a Tk 10 lakh extortion demand and a death threat over WhatsApp from a foreign number. After a case was filed at Motijheel police station, the investigation found that Tanim Reza Bappi and his associates were involved. They could not be arrested earlier as they had been in hiding for a long time.

He said the Motijheel division arrested Bappi in a drive near Hotel Purbani in Motijheel on Friday morning, along with three associates with him: Jewel, Shakil and Manik Kazi. Later, acting on information from the detainees during questioning and with technical help, police raided the North Kamalapur area of Motijheel and arrested another associate, Rakibul Islam Bhuiyan alias Rizon.

Based on information from the detainees, police raided Bappi's office in South Kamalapur on the night of 17 July. They recovered a foreign revolver, two foreign pistols, five revolver rounds, two pistol rounds, two magazines, an electric shock gun and a foreign-made Chinese axe.

A separate case has been filed at Motijheel police station under the Arms Act, the DMP officer said.

He added that Tanim Reza alias Bappi is known as a criminal carrying illegal arms. There is information on his involvement in several shootings, and allegations of extortion from various businesses in Motijheel. He faces a total of seven cases at different DMP police stations on charges including extortion, robbery, abduction, attempted murder, repression of women and children, and narcotics.

Legal action is being taken against the arrested, and drives to arrest other associates and recover illegal arms are continuing, the police officer said.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.