Pabna, May 23 (V7N) — Police in Bangladesh’s Pabna district have arrested three individuals accused of demanding extortion money from contractors working on the under-construction Pabna Medical College Hospital and assaulting security personnel after their demand was refused.
The arrests were made on Thursday night following a case filed over the incident, which reportedly took place on May 19 at the hospital construction site in Hemayetpur.
The arrested suspects were identified as Masud Rana, also known as “Killer Masud,” 35, son of the late Abdul Jalil; Sojal Ali, 32, son of the late Rustam Ali; and Ismail Hossain, also known as “Naxal Ismail,” 35, son of the late Abdur Rahim. All three are residents of the Sadhupura Jhutpatti area under Pabna municipality.
The information was disclosed on Friday during a press briefing at the office of the Superintendent of Police in Pabna by Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime) Rejinur Rahman.
According to the case statement, construction work on the Pabna Medical College Hospital is being carried out at a cost of Tk 250 crore and is currently nearing completion. Investigators said the accused recently approached the site manager of the contracting firm, Sajin Construction, and demanded Tk 20 lakh in extortion money.
When the demand was refused, the accused, along with several unidentified associates, allegedly attempted to forcefully enter the construction site around 1:00 pm on May 19. During the altercation, two security guards identified as Habibur and Imran were severely beaten after attempting to stop them.
Police said the attackers also vandalized office property, including doors, windows, and furniture, and looted approximately Tk 1 lakh kept inside an office drawer before fleeing the scene.
The injured security personnel were later rescued by local residents and admitted to Pabna General Hospital for treatment.
Following the incident, Rakibur Rahman, manager of Sajin Construction’s Pabna office, filed a case with Pabna Sadar Police Station on May 20. The case, numbered 34, named four accused individuals and included 10 to 12 unidentified suspects.
Acting on the instructions of Superintendent of Police Md. Sufi Ullah, detectives from the district’s Detective Branch (DB) launched an overnight operation in several areas and arrested the three named suspects.
Additional Superintendent of Police Rejinur Rahman said legal proceedings against the arrested individuals are underway, while police operations continue to apprehend the remaining suspects involved in the incident.
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