Shyamoli traders fear reprisals for Pintu's arrest
Staff Correspondent
Local businessmen of Shyamoli area in the capital are fearing reprisals from members of a local gang which has long been extorting illegal tolls from them, following the arrest of their alleged gang leader, Motiur Rahman Pintu, also younger brother of a BNP leader Barkatullah Bulu."We are now passing time with a sense of insecurity as the gangsters may attack any of us to avenge the arrest of their leader," said a local businessman seeking anonymity. They demanded deployment of adequate law enforcement forces in the area to ensure their safety. Officer-in-Charge of Mohammadpur Police Station Shahanur Khan said they have taken adequate security measures. "If extortionists enter the area they will be arrested," he said. The Mohammadpur police arrested Pintu on Sunday night from Adabor after another alleged gang member, arrested on charge of shooting at a private car showroom on Ring Road on January 26, named Pintu as their leader. A gang opened fire on the car showroom, Top Corporation, and vandalised four cars after the owner of the showroom had refused to pay the gang a toll of Tk 10 lakh. Defence lawyers in the case, filed in connection with the shooting, did not plead for bail for Pintu during the scheduled hearing of the bail petition yesterday, instead they asked the court to reschedule the hearing on Thursday, which the court agreed to do. The defence counsels however refused to make any comment to the media about why they wanted to move the date of hearing of the bail petition to Thursday.
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