Who is to be believed, Harun or Russell?
Muhammad Harun-or-Rashid, Superintendent of Police (SP) Narayanganj, has recently been withdrawn to Police HQs after allegation of arbitrary detention of businessman Shawkat Aziz Russell's wife and their son in Dhaka on Friday.
Shawkat Aziz Russell, Chairman and Managing Director of Amber Group and the son of Chairman of Partex Group and former BNP MP MA Hashem, is now on bail.
Narayanganj police on Saturday filed two cases against Russell and Md Sumon, driver of Russell, on charges of possessing drugs and illegal firearms. Police arrested Sumon and seized 1,200 pieces of Yaba pills, 28-round of bullets, 24 bottles of foreign alcohol, 48 cans of beer and Tk 22,000 in cash from Russell's SUV in the Signboard area under Siddhirganj Police Station.
According to a press release of Narayanganj police, Md Sumon, the driver, was arrested with contraband drugs, liquor, ammunition and cash by Siddhirganj police at 3:15am on November 1. However, there was no mention of the arrest of Farah Russell and their son Anaf Aziz.
Meanwhile, SP Harun-or-Rashid told journalists on Saturday his driver and bodyguard were returning to Narayanganj after dropping him in Dhaka on
Friday midnight. When they were crossing the Tejgaon Flyover his driver honked as the car got stuck in a traffic jam.
It made Russell angry and he pulled a pistol on the police driver after getting off his car, the SP said. When he sensed that they were policemen, Russell fled with the gun leaving his wife and son in the vehicle, the SP added.
Police said they recovered bullets and liquor from the SUV early Saturday and detained three people, Farah, Anaf and their driver Sumon.
When Russell's SUV was heading towards Narayanganj SP Harun's driver and bodyguard chased Russell's car and informed others in Narayanganj, Narayanganj, police said. A police patrol team stopped Russell's SUV from where they recovered the foreign liquor, Yaba and ammunition, according to police.
Harun-or-Rashid said a few hours later police raided Russell's residence and brought his wife and son to Narayanganj for interrogation.
However, Shawkat Aziz Russell alleged that his wife Farah Russell and son Anaf Aziz were picked up from their Gulshan residence by law enforcers for purposes of extortion.
Police recovered CCTV footage from Russell Gulshan residence. The footage shows some Detective Branch (DB) of police members picked up Russell's wife Farah and son Anaf from their Gulshan residence.
He said they were picked up a day after the Narayanganj SP seized Russell's car from Dhaka Club on October 31.
Hashem, father of Russell, came to Narayanganj later and freed his daughter-in-law and grandson from police custody on condition that they will help recover the gun.
Harun demanded Tk 8 crore from my son. As he refused, Harun framed my son in the false case," Russell's father MA Hashem, who is also the founder and chairman of Partex Group, said.
Earlier on May 5 in 2016, Russell sent letters to the President, Home Minister, the then Cabinet Secretary and chiefs of different intelligence agencies and law enforcing agencies accusing Harun of demanding extortion of Tk 5 crore from him.
However, Officer-in-Charge (OC) SM Kamruzzaman of Gulshan Police Station told the media that they have no knowledge about Narayanganj police conducting any drives in Gulshan.
A high official of DMP preferring anonymity told the Daily Observer that Narayanganj police did not inform the local police station before conducting the drive in the DMP area.
The police have filed an arms and drugs case against Shawkat Aziz Russell.
Law enforcers have filed similar cases against Ismail Hossian Chowdhury Samrat, expelled president of Jubo League Dhaka (south) city, unit organizing secretary and expelled Jubo League leader Khaled Mahmud Bhuiyan, controversial businessman Golam Kibria Shamim and 20 others, mostly members of ruling party. They are all in jail now.
Law enforcers seized Yaba pills, several rounds of bullets, several bottles of foreign alcohol, cans of beer, and cash in raids to arrest Samrat, Khaled and Shamim.
What is preventing the police from arresting Shawkat Aziz Russell now? Is it a fabricated case against the businessman? Police is unwilling to provide FIR of the case filed against Russell with the Siddhirganj Police Station.
If Harun-or-Rashid, the former top district police official, has filed a false case against Shawkat Aziz Russell intentionally to harass him, he will face punishment, said a senior police officer.
Such arbitrary act of the law enforcers is a threat to the common people, observer say.
