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Councillor Manju held for extortion

Local traders distribute sweets in celebration

Staff Correspondent
Rab yesterday arrested Dhaka South City Corporation ward councillor Mainul Haque Manju at his office for his alleged involvement in extortion and recovered firearms and narcotics in his possession.
Manju, councillor of ward-39, was arrested in a case filed on Wednesday over demanding Tk 2 lakh from a trader at the capital's Rajdhani Super Market, said Rab-3 Commanding Officer Lt Col Shafee Bulbul, adding that the councillor had long been running an extortion racket in the area.
"He amassed crores of taka from extortion, grabbing properties of others, and expanding his activities," the Rab CO said, adding that he used to send the money to his family in the USA through Hundi (an illegal non-banking channel).
Rab said they found two firearms, some bottles of liquor, a stash of cannabis, and a large amount of sex stimulating pills in the ward councillor's office. His office is in the same building in which a Rab-3 office is located.
The councillor could not show any valid documents of the firearms, said the Rab official.
Rab last night filed two cases against Manju with Wari Police Station under the Arms Act and the Narcotics Control Act, Shafee said.
With Manju, law enforcers have so far arrested three ward councillors in Dhaka since the beginning of the ongoing crackdown on corruption and illegal casinos.
Locals said Manju was elected councillor of the ward twice before.
Traders in the neighbourhood heaved a sigh of relief following the arrest and distributed sweets as part of their celebration.
"It is a relief for us. We have suffered a lot due to his extortion," Ashraf Uddin, a trader of the market, told The Daily Star.
In 2015, shop owners of the market filed a complaint against Manju with the home ministry, but no action was taken.
Asked about the delay in arresting him despite numerous allegations against him, the Rab official said they could not arrest him due to "lack of evidence".
Rab also raided his house "Globe Nibas" nearby and recovered some liquor.
Manju used to live in a duplex flat on the four-storey building.
Some neighbours alleged that Mainul initially bought the flat, but gradually grabbed the whole building using his influence.
TRADERS SPEAK OUT AGAINST EXTORTION
The traders at the Rajdhani Super Market that houses around 900 shops spoke of rampant extortion by the ward councillor.
Md Azad, a fast-food shop owner at the market, alleged that Manju had demanded Ik 1.20 lakh from him eight months ago. But as he was unable to pay the money, Manju's men closed his shop.
He was allowed to reopen the shop seven days later after paying the amount, the shop owner said.
While talking to The Daily Star, Azad
said he wanted run his business in an extortion-free environment.
Another businessman of the market, Aktar Hosen said Manju declared himself the president of the market.
"Anybody who wanted to buy, sell or rent shops in the market had to pay Manju Tk 2 to 3 lakhs first," Aktar alleged.
In 2017, Manju received around Tk 5 crore from the traders of the market to install air conditioners, but he embezzled the money, Aktar alleged.
"Manju has been running the extortion ring through his men for nine years, now we want a change," Aktar also said.
Md Shentu, another trader and a former member of the committee of a nearby mosque, said Manju had been taking Tk 10,000 toTk 12,000 every week.
"But he never worked for the development of the mosque," Shentu added.