In a series of brazen criminal acts, a group led by Abdur Razzak bin Sulaiman Riyad, an expelled leader of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement (ADSM), a faction supported by the Yunus-led regime, stormed the office of former Awami League MP Abdul Kalam Azad on June 26.
They extorted cheques worth approximately Tk5 crore and took away his phone, threatening him with a mob lynching.
This incident follows a pattern of mob violence, extortion, and other crimes perpetrated by groups like ADSM and the National Citizen Party (NCP) since July 2024, often targeting political opponents under the regimeโs tacit support.
According to Azad, who represented Rangpur-6 in the ninth parliament, a group of 10-12 individuals led by Razzak entered his Green Road office in Dhaka, threatening him with public humiliation by โ200 people waiting outsideโ unless he paid up.
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โThey said, โWill you go to the police station yourself, or should we take you?โโ Azad told The Daily Star.
โThey accused me of being an aide to Sheikh Hasina, took my phones, and seized cheques worth Tk5 crore.โ His phone was later returned, and an investigation is underway, though Azad declined to comment further.
Police recovered cheques worth Tk2.25 crore from Razzakโs residence, confirming their connection to Azad.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (Media) Talebur Rahman stated that a case is being filed at Kalabagan police station regarding the recovered cheques.
On July 26, Razzak and four others were arrested for extorting Tk10 lakh from Siddique Abu Zafar, husband of former Awami League lawmaker Shammi Ahmed, and forcing him to pay Tk40 lakh more.
Zafar alleged that on July 17, the group demanded Tk50 lakh, labeling him an Awami League associate. When he refused, they pressured him until he paid Tk10 lakh.
The group returned on July 19 and 26, demanding the remaining Tk40 lakh and threatening to hand him over to the police. Five suspects, including Razzak, were arrested on the spot, while one, Kazi Gourab, fled.
The arrested individuals include Shakdaun Siam, Sadman Sadab and Ibrahim Hossain Munna. They were expelled from the organisations the same day.
Since July 2024, groups like ADSM and NCP, backed by the Yunus-led regime, have been implicated in widespread mob violence, extortion, and intimidation, particularly against former Awami League members and their associates, raising concerns about the regimeโs role in enabling such criminal activities.
Son of poor rickshaw-puller Abu Raihan from Noakhali, Presidency University student Razzak became a top coordinator of the private university branch of the ADSM after the fall of the Awami League government.
Soon, the financial crisis of the family disappeared. About two months ago, Razzak started work on a pucca building in his village. He also bought an expensive car and a bike.
The building could be 900 to 1,000 square feet in size. An engineer, who did not want to be named, told Prothom Alo that it costs Tk20-25 lakh to build a 1,000 sq-ft pucca building. Till the roofing, some Tk12-15 lakh has been spent so far.
Razzak used to display his strength as an ADSM leader by sharing photos of himself with political figures on Facebook. Advisers of the interim government and the NCP were also not left out of his picture frame.
Videos of his speeches praising NCP Convener and former adviser, Nahid Islam, and against extortion have gone viral since his arrest.
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