Yet another piece of evidence has surfaced, exposing the mindless extortion by Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, the most controversial mob leader-turned-adviser of the Yunus-led interim government, who enjoys impunity.
A video message by Jane Alam Apu, the expelled joint convener of Bangladesh Democratic Studentsโ Union (BDSU), which was recorded while he was hiding to evade arrest, is now making rounds on social media. He was arrested on July 31 and placed on a four-day remand on August 2.
Apu admitted to having collected a black bag with Tk10 lakh in it and putting it inside his backpack.
Siddiq Abu Zafar, the husband of former Awami League lawmaker Shammi Ahmed, gave it against a demand for Tk1 crore at his house in Gulshan between 9am and 10am on July 17.
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The media showed 2.5 minutes of CCTV footage collected from the flat, where Apu was accompanied by Abdur Razzak bin Sulaiman Riyad, a member of the BDSU expelled after he was arrested on July 26.
Abu Zafar first offered them Tk5 lakh in cash and kept a bag on the side table of the living room beside Apu, but Riyad rejected it, demanding Tk1 crore, as suggested by Asif Mahmud.
He said that they had saved the former MP from being arrested and humiliated. But he later agreed to accept Tk50 lakh after bargaining with Abu Zafar. He then called someone from his phone, and after a person came with a bag, he gave it to the student leaders.
Riyad told him that they would come again for the rest of the Tk40 lakh after two days.
After coming out of the flat, Riyad told Apu that it would be tough for him to convince the big brother, or Asif Mahmud.
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Apu said that several hours ago, around 5am, a mob of 30-40 students took the police to the house for a raid, but they did not find Shammi Ahmed there.
He added that he had seen evidence of Shammi Ahmed staying in the flat a while ago: her phone, headphones, shoes, and vanity bag were in the room.
He realised that there had been a compromise before the raid took place and started to distance himself since it was his first experience. Sensing this, Riyad tried to boost his confidence by saying that had he been in a senior post like Apu, he would have earned Tk20 crore already.
In the video, Apu said that he had a meeting with Adviser Asif Mahmud near Hotel Westin at Gulshan 2 around 4:10am. But the media did not report it. Asif Mahmud was wearing a mask and riding a CF Moto bike.
What happened afterwards?
After the raid, Apu said Riyad was contacted by Abu Zafar to go to the house again. So, he called Apu on his phone. On the stairs, Riyad told him to stay with him because he performed well during the raid.
โWhen he went inside, Abu Zafar gave us Tk5 lakh and said he wanted peace. He also wanted to know how the students came to know that the couple was staying there,โ Apu said, adding that he did not extort Shammi Ahmedโs husband but was framed by Riyad after he was arrested.
The next day, Riyad took Apu to a Yamaha showroom at Mohakhali and gave him Tk 3 lakh to buy a motorcycle.
On July 19, Riyad insisted that Apu accompany him to collect the rest of the amount from the Gulshan house, but they returned after not finding anyone there.
Apu said he was lucky that he did not go to the house with Riyad on July 26, when the latter was arrested along with four other students. These students had no involvement in the extortion but were used by Riyad.
Apu regretted that he gave his NID while buying the motorcycle, because Riyad tried to blackmail him.
In the 35-minute video, he cited another example of patronisation of extortionists by senior leaders of the National Citizen Party (NCP), including Abdul Hannan Masud.
He said that he was not an extortionist but was a victim of a conspiracy.
โHad I been an extortionist, I would not have had to skip a semester for failing to pay a fee of Tk60,000. I borrowed money from my wife for the NCPโs Road March in July.โ
Apu said that he did not dare to receive phone calls from his mother and wife. Relatives and friends who earlier requested him for job recommendations started saying bad things about him on Facebook. All these events occurred after Riyad made a statement at the police station that implicated Apu as the main culprit.
There are many allegations against Riyad. Many senior brothers, including NCP Convener Nahid Islam, provided him with shelter.
However, the major players remain unarrested. They became advisers, cashing in on the sacrifice of the protesters in July-August last year, and are earning huge sums of money.
Apu admitted his fault and apologised to the people of Bangladesh. He also said he was ready to go through the legal process.
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