Harun-Ur-Rashid, superintendent of police (SP), Narayanganj district, was removed on Sunday, amid allegations of picking up the family of a businessperson from Dhaka, report agencies.
The SP has been asked to join Bangladesh Police headquarters with immediate effect, according to an order issued by the Public Security Division of the home ministry following a Presidential order. The notification however did not specify any reason for the order.
He was withdrawn amid allegation of arbitrary detention of Showkat Aziz Russell, the chairman and managing director of Amber Group, and harassing his wife and their son in Dhaka on Friday, said sources. The family, however, was secretly released after few hours, the officials and people closed to the family said. Harun was not available for his comment but the police headquarters confirmed his immediate withdrawal.
The home ministry notification mentioned that he was transferred to the police headquarters. Earlier on Saturday, Amber Group chairman Showkat Aziz Russell alleged that his wife Farah Russell and son Anaf Aziz were picked up from their Gulshan residence by law enforcement for purposes of extortion. He said policemen, some in uniform and some in plainclothes, picked them up in the early hours of Saturday.
He said they were picked up a day after the Narayanganj SP seized Russell’s car from Dhaka Club on October 31. Russell happens to be president of the Gulshan Club, He says that SP Harun was behind the several above mentioned incidents since his company Amber Denim refused to pay the Police Superintendent TK8 crore in extortion money.
However, Gulshan police station Officer in Charge (OC), SM Kamruzzaman, told the media that they have no knowledge about Narayanganj police conducting any drives in Dhaka’s Gulshan. Prior to that the police also, on Saturday, claimed that it arrested a man named Md Sumon, 29, and seized 1,200 pieces of Yaba pills, 28 cartridges, 24 bottles of foreign liquor, 48 cans of beer, and Tk 22,000 from a vehicle in Signboard area under Siddhirganj police station.
Police claimed, after being arrested, the driver said that the SUV was owned by Showkat Aziz Russell. Harun-or-Rashid, superintendent of police in Narayanganj, disclosed the information at a press conference at his official conference room on Saturday. The SP said that Russell was in the SUV, carrying a firearm, and managed to flee the scene. Two cases were filed against Sumon and Russell on charge of carrying drugs and illegal firearms. Police had started drives to arrest Russell, he claimed on Saturday.
Russell was not available over phone despite multiple attempts. Meanwhile, the home ministry also transferred the Motijheel division deputy commissioner Anwar Hossain to Dinajpur as the police superintendent. A number of officials of the division were withdrawn following the RAB-led drive against illegal casino business in the area since September 18.
