Abu Sadeq, the Managing Director of SS Group and the head of former DB chief Harun Or Rashid’s syndicate, has been arrested for his involvement in the abduction of a businessman and an attempted extortion of Tk 6 crore at the DB office.
Sub-Inspector Abdul Kader of Ramna Police Station, investigating officer of the case, arrested Abu Sadeq from his residence in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur on Sunday night.
Earlier on January 21, following a court directive, businessman Zulfiqar Ali, the victim of the abduction, filed a case with Ramna Police Station on January 23.
The accused in the case are: Abu Sadeq, former DB Chief Harun-or-Rashid, former DC DB Golam Sabur, a former Additional DIG at that time, Dhaka District Awami League General Secretary Moniruzzaman Tarun, Abu Sadeq’s manager Md. Shamim.
According to the case statement, the accused conspired to abduct businessman Zulfiqar Ali on February 13, 2023, and took him to the DB office, where he was tortured and forced to pay Tk 6 crore. He was given a week to arrange the money. Subsequently, he was tortured twice more—first at the DB office and later at Dreams Beauty Parlor and Fitness Club on Road No. 1 in Dhanmondi.
The case statement mentions that the beauty parlor was a meeting place for members of Abu Sadeq’s syndicate. It was there that Dhaka District Awami League General Secretary Moniruzzaman Tarun and other accused planned multiple abductions and extortion schemes.
It has also been alleged that Abu Sadeq, being a close associate of former State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, used his influence to monopolize dredging contracts in the Ministry of Shipping.
Bd-Pratidin English/ARK
