An organized group of land grabbers is allegedly illegally trying to occupy a three storied building in the city’s Lalbagh area using a novel tactic. Some greedy police officers, an influential people’s representative, and some local politicians are allegedly behind the scenes.
In a bid to dodge everyone, they are using a beautiful female, who sometimes claims herself a crime reporter of an online television channel, sometimes a dancer, sometimes a singer and sometimes an entertainment reporter. The organised land grabbers are harassing house owners in different ways including lodging false cases for a long time in the Lalbagh area using the lady fraud.
Bangladesh Post correspondent came to learn this information through extensive investigation. According to a case statement obtained by this correspondent, Safiya Aziz, a private employee filed a case against Shanzida Islam Mou, daughter of Rakibul Islam Rakib, hailing from Kafrul in the city, with Lalbagh Police Station early Tuesday.
She mentioned that her father late Abdul Aziz, a retired employee of Dhaka City Corporation had built a three storied building at Lalbagh in the old city. Aziz was seriously injured in a road crash, and lost all his savings in his expensive and long treatment.
At one stage, he sold the second floor to one Md Shahidullah Ripon on June 3 in 2018 to bear his medical costs. Till September 30 last year, Aziz lived with his daughter in the city’s Mirpur area. But Aziz and his wife started living in his own house from October 1 last year. While living there, he came to know that accused Mou in association with local police forcibly ousted some tenants of the house.
House owner Aziz became suspicious observing the mysterious activities of Mou. Some young men used to visit her rented house late at night. The lady threatened the tenants of Aziz to leave the house, as part of her conspiracy to grab the whole building. She carried out attacks on his family members several times.
When the old man tried to resist, the greedy lady demanded Tk 7 lakh as extortion or to hand over the ownership of the rooftop of the house to her. She threatened the house owner misusing the names of senior police officers, and even an influential minister.
At one stage, CCTV cameras were installed on different floors of the house. But Lalbagh police mysteriously forced the house owner to remove the CCTV cameras as per complaint of Mou. She on January 23, allegedly stole six laptops and other valuables worth Tk 14 lakh from a room of the house . She also attempted to grab the ground floor of the house.
At one stage of continuous mental harassment, house owner Aziz died on February 9 this year, leaving his family members to mourn his tragic death. But Mou did not stop her tortures even for a single day. Due to mourning, the family members of the victim could not take legal steps against Mou. On February 16, she in association with her hired goons again attacked the family members of late Aziz.
However, they saved their lives by hurriedly entering their residence. Getting information, local people rushed to the spot. At one stage, Mou and her associates left the scene. When the family members of late Aziz went to the local Lalbagh Police Station, police repeatedly refused to receive complaints.
Instead, police recorded a criminal case against all the family members of house owner Aziz, except for Safia Aziz, his younger daughter. Before recording the case, Inspector KM Ashraf Uddin pressured Mahbubur Rahman Rizvi, son -in-law of late Aziz, to help Mou in grabbing his father in law’s whole house.
Bangladesh Post has audio conversation between the OC and Rizvi. Talking to this correspondent Rizvi said, “Police told me to reach a compromise with Mou.” When the victims failed to file a case against Mou, they talked to several senior officers of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) seeking their intervention.
Safia herself talked to Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operations) of DMP Krishna Pada Roy and Deputy Commissioner of Lalbagh Division of (DMP) Muntasir Rony on Monday. Due to their immediate intervention, Lalbagh police finally recorded the case against Mou. Safia thanked the two officers for helping them in getting justice.
She said, “We have given up all hopes to get justice as the land grabbers always mentioned the names of senior police officers and even a top brass minister.” Now our hopes for justice are restored, she said adding, “But we still feel insecure as Mou is still trying to grab our house with her musclemen, though she has no papers in favour of her claims.”
Mou herself first committed a crime. Then she made false complaints against innocent people calling national emergency number 999 day after day. According to tenants payment slip, the second floor owner Shahidullah Ripon rented his floor to Shanzida Islam Mou on July 1 in 2019.
According to a police document, Shahidullah Ripon filed a general diary with Lalbagh Police Station on September 25 in 2019. He complained that he went to his tenant Mou to get dues of two months from her, and found three unidentified men there. At one stage, Mou forcibly took his signature on a blank 300 Tk non-judicial stamp, the police document said.
But while talking to Bangladesh Post on February 18, Shahidullah said, “ Mou in association with her hired goons also took his indecent pictures and video clips to blackmail him.”
Thus, she grabbed my flat, he further said. Responding to a question, Shahidullah said,“ I did not get any help from local police.” As I did not get help, I shall submit a prayer to the local lawmaker for initiative to evacuate Mou, he said while crying.
He also said, earlier this influential lady assaulted her previous landlords including Alauddin alias Shallu Ostad, a local veteran. She lived at house No 31/A and 27/B in city’s Lalbagh area. Whenever the landlords demanded due payments from their tenant Mou, they were harassed by her.
She made false allegations of sexual assaults against the house owners to harass them. The house owners had to pay her a good amount of money to save themselves from harassment. Some of them complained to local police. However, police did not pay heed to them, but instead, they supported Mou.
Wife of one Shahid, who is the house owner of house No 31/A, Lalbagh road said, “This criminal lady blamed us for stealing her phone when we demanded dues from her.” She took Tk 15,00 from us, the helpless housewife said, adding, “Mou harassed many other house owners.” Responding to a question, she said, “All local police personnel are in the hands of Mou.”
Please save us from her harassment, she went on. About the allegation against Lalbagh OC KM Ashraf and other police officers from the same police station of cooperating with land grabbers, DC ( Lalbagh)Muntasir Rony said, “ The allegation is totally baseless.” Responding to the current situation, the boss of the Lalbagh Division of DMP said, “Two separate cases were filed with Lalbagh Police Station. And I suggest all sides go to court on the land dispute issues.”
It is not the task of police to settle land disputes, he clearly said. Krishna Pada Roy, who personally initiated the move that ultimately saved the innocent family members of late Aziz said, “It’s our duty to work professionally and neutrally.” When I was informed about the issue, I talked to the concerned police officers and motivated them to work as per law, the second-in-command of the DMP said.
About the latest situation, Krishna Pada Roy said, “They came to my office on Tuesday too. I talked to them over the phone and advised them to keep in touch with the local DC.” Accused Mou denied all allegations against her. She said, “The family members of Aziz assaulted her and ousted her from her own flat.” However, she could not produce any paper in favour of her claim.