Fugitive outlaws raising heads in Khulna
Murder, extortion on the increase
Outlaws belonging to Janajuddho faction of Purbo Bangla Communist Party (PBCP) have resumed their criminal activities including extortion and murder, much to the panic among people, especially well-to-do ones.
Amid signs of the fugitive outlaws' reappearance in the area, five police stations in Khulna city and nine others in the district have been put on high alert.
Shyamol Kanti Roy, an auditor of the Gopalganj office of Brac, was stabbed to death near his house at Musalmanpara under Khulna Sadar police station on July 14 night and Janajuddho claimed responsibility for it, terming the victim 'class enemy'.
Police recovered some leaflets beside Shyamol's body. The leaflets bear names of Limon, Rony and Etim Masum who claimed themselves as ringleaders of outlawed party in Khulna, Jessore and Bagerhat districts.
Shyamol's wife Ruma Roy filed a case with Khulna Sadar Police station on July 15 naming none as accused for the murder of her husband. Police is yet to arrest anyone in this connection.
On last July 20, extremists stabbed Ekramul Kabir, an employee of Rupali Sea food at Elaipur under Rupsha upazila of Khulna district. The seriously injured person is now under treatment at Khulna Medical College Hospital.
Police recovered 25 leaflets of the outlawed party from the spot.
Admitting this incident, OC Ershadul Kabir Chowdhury of Rupsha police station said, "I think outlaws made the attack on an innocent employee of the shrimp processing factory to give message about their reappearance. I arrested a young man named Saiful Islam alias Tera Saiful of Elaipur village. Some leaflets of the underground party were recovered from his possession."
Saiful was taken on remand for five days for questioning on July 23, said SI Nurul Islam, the investigation officer of the case filed on July 21 for attack on Ekramul.
"An extremist identifying himself as Limon, operations commander of outlawed Janajuddho in charge of Khulna district, recently demanded Tk 5 lakh from me over cellphone," said a shrimp exporter who sought anonymity for security reasons.
The outlaw has threatened to kill the businessman and his family members in case of failure to give the money and filing any complaint to police in this regard.
A contractor, a physician, an industrialist and an engineer said that they had also received death threats from outlaws over their cell phones if they refuse to pay any amount of toll demanded by same group of extremists.
"We did not dare lodging any written complaint fearing reprisal from the extremists," said an industrialist from whom outlaw Limon demanded Tk 2 lakh recently.
When contacted, Khulna Superintendent of Police Tanvir Haider Chowdhury admitted to circulation of leaflets in some places of the district in the name of Janajuddho.
"We are trying hard to track down the people involved in demanding tolls and giving death threats. Check posts have been set up at several important places in nine upazilas of the district. We expect cooperation from people in identifying and arresting the extremists," he said.
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