'I could not resist the greed, I seek forgiveness': 'coordinator' Riyad in his statement, chargesheet filed against six

'I am the son of a poor family. I could not resist the temptation of money. I ask for forgiveness.' Abdur Razzak, alias Riyad, said this towards the end of the confessional statement he gave in court in the case over demanding and collecting extortion money at the home of former member of parliament Shammi Ahmed.

According to the allegations, Riyad used the identity of a coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and, together with his associates, branded various people as collaborators of the Awami League and extorted money from them by threatening them with cases and arrest.

The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has filed a chargesheet against six people, including Riyad, in the case over demanding Tk 50 lakh and collecting Tk 10 lakh at Shammi Ahmed's home. The investigating officer, PBI Sub-Inspector Firoz Ahmed Munshi, recently submitted the chargesheet to the court. Court sources said on Tuesday that the hearing of the case has been scheduled for November 10.

The other accused in the chargesheet are Jane Alam Opu, Sakadaun Siam, Sadman Sadab, Ibrahim Hossain and one child. All six accused in the case are currently out on bail. Of them, Abdur Razzak and Jane Alam Opu gave statements in court under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

In his statement, Riyad admitted taking the extortion money. He identified himself as the acting convener of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement of the students of a private university. He also claimed to have assisted the police at various times in arresting 'fascist people'.

Riyad said in his statement that on the night of July 17, 2025, hearing that Shammi Ahmed was at her Gulshan home, they went to the police station. A police team then took them along and raided the house, but Shammi was not found there. While leaving, Jane Alam Opu took an earpod that had 'Shammi earpod' written on it. To return it, they went to the house again at around 10am the next day, and Opu entered the house on the pretext of drinking water.

The complainant was then told that they understood his wife was in the house and that she would be handed over to the police. When the complainant agreed to pay, Tk 50 lakh was demanded at first. When the complainant offered Tk 10 lakh, they agreed, and later shared the money equally among themselves, Riyad stated.

On collecting the remaining Tk 40 lakh, Riyad said he sent Ibrahim Hossain, Sakadaun Siam and Sadman Sadab to the house at around 5pm on July 26. According to him, the police asked him to go to the house in order to trap him; believing the police, he went to the spot, after which the complainant informed the police station and the police arrived and caught them red-handed.

The chargesheet says that after the political changeover of August 5, 2024, the accused carried out such extortion by presenting themselves as coordinators and active workers of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. Using that identity, they visited police stations regularly and built rapport with the police by providing information on the arrests and whereabouts of Awami League-linked leaders and activists accused in various cases. Later, evading law-enforcement agencies, they branded various people as Awami League collaborators, associates or supporters and demanded and collected extortion money by threatening them with cases, arrest and harassment, the chargesheet states.

According to the case allegations, the incident took place at the home of Shammi Ahmed's family on Road 83 in Gulshan-2. Shammi Ahmed's husband, Siddik Abu Jafar (75), filed the case with Gulshan Police Station on July 27, 2025.

According to the allegations, the accused first raided the house together with the police. After the police left without finding her, the accused returned to the house, branded Shammi's husband an Awami League collaborator, threatened him with arrest and demanded Tk 50 lakh, later collecting Tk 10 lakh. A few days later, on the afternoon of July 26, when they went to the house to collect the remaining Tk 40 lakh, the complainant informed Gulshan Police Station. Police rushed to the spot and detained Abdur Razzak, Sakadaun Siam, Sadman Sadab, Ibrahim Hossain and the juvenile Aminul Islam. Jane Alam Opu was arrested later.

Riyad's political identity had also been discussed earlier. A report published on July 28, 2025 said he had previously been involved in Chhatra League politics and later became a member of the Dhaka metropolitan branch of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. After his arrest, he was expelled from his position in the organisation.

News of Riyad's arrest had also sparked discussion in Nabipur union of Senbagh upazila in his home district of Noakhali. According to local residents, his grandfather Waliullah drove a rickshaw; his father Abu Raihan also drove a rickshaw until eight years ago and later ran the family as a day labourer. The youngest of two brothers and two sisters, Riyad's mother was a homemaker who at one time worked in other people's homes. After passing his SSC from Nabipur High School, he enrolled at Government Mujib College in Companyganj and became involved in Chhatra League politics there; after passing his HSC, he was admitted to a private university in Dhaka. His mother, however, denied the allegations at the time, saying she did not believe her son could commit extortion and claiming that someone had conspired to frame him.