Extortion threats force businesses to be closed: Whip Bakul

KHULNA, Nov 8: Jatiya Sangsad Whip and BNP leader Rakibul Islam Bakul expressed concern over the extortion situation at an event organised at the Khulna Press Club on Sunday. 

He said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had instructed the home minister to take firm action to restore public security.

Bakul warned that public representatives would take to the streets if law-enforcement agencies failed to act against criminals and extortionists, regardless of their political affiliations.

“We are hopeful that law enforcement officials will resolve the problem or surrender and leave. There is no alternative,” he said.

According to field sources, a pharmacy in the Khulna city has remained closed for 12 days after receiving extortion threats, while several private clinics and diagnostic centres have avoided filing police complaints following attacks and vandalism allegedly linked to extortion demands.

Chayanika Pharmacy, on Central Road in Tutpara, was shut down after its manager was threatened by phone and fled. Its owner has been too afraid to reopen the business or report the incident to police.

At least three diagnostic centres have been attacked in the past two weeks, with one doctor reportedly threatened at gunpoint. Other businesses, including Sandhani Clinic, New Apollo Diagnostic and Consultation Centre and Abdullah Pathology, have also faced attacks or threats.

On October 24, attackers targeted Sandhani Diagnostic Centre and Clinic on Babu Khan Road, allegedly demanding extortion worth Tk 10 crore. They vandalised two doctors’ rooms, the reception counter and a television, and fired gunshots to spread panic.

The following day, armed men reportedly threatened a doctor at another establishment owned by the same proprietor, pressing a pistol against his neck. The owner did not file a complaint and could not be reached for comment.

On November 3, Abdullah Pathology and Diagnostic Centre was attacked, with assailants allegedly demanding Tk 5 lakh before vandalising the premises. Four days later, Apollo Diagnostic and Consultation Centre was also attacked after its manager reportedly received threats from a recently released gang member.

Many private hospitals, diagnostic centres and luxury hotels in the city are reportedly facing extortion demands but remain reluctant to report them.

Officer-in-Charge of Khulna Sadar Police Station Mohammad Lokman Hossain said police had arrested two people in connection with the Sandhani incident. He said no complaint had been filed over the Apollo attack, although suspects had been identified.

Khulna Metropolitan Police’s Deputy Commissioner Rezaur Rahman said victims’ reluctance to file complaints and cooperate with police, along with the quick release of accused criminals on bail, were complicating efforts to control crime.

Lawyer and civic leader Babul Howlader said repeated attacks and extortion reflected a broader deterioration in law and order. He blamed weak enforcement and the failure to hold offenders accountable.