Crime, politics meet to fetch him a fortune

It is apparently the criminalised politics of our country that made it all possible. A high school dropout became a millionaire and one of the most notorious figures in Bogra just in a decade.

Born into an ultra-poor family, he now owns at least two cars, a lavish home and a multi-storey building in the town. He recently bought a flat in Dhaka.

The other members of his family also made a fortune, courtesy of political and criminal connections. His father and one of his elder brothers, both once meat sellers struggling to make ends meet, are now wealthy hide traders.

The man, suspended Sramik League leader Tufan Sarkar, is now in his 30s. Before his arrest on Friday night over the rape and torture of a female student, he had made crimes his daily routine.

He was a drug peddler, specialised in Yaba and Phensedyl trades, and made crores from extortion in transport sector. An accused in at least one murder case, he would move around with guns and armed gang members, police sources and locals say.

Tufan has been able to create his own crime racket, first with the help of his elder brother Motin Sarkar, a Jubo League man, and then with the blessings from a senior leader of district Awami League. There was none to challenge him in Bogra.

Before Friday, he was detained only once.

In 2011, then senior ASP of Bogra Rab Sumit Chowdhury raided a house in the town's Chaksutrapur and seized two bags of Phensedyl. It was later found that the illegal substances were kept there by Tufan.

The officer captured him and after interrogation found 5,000 Yaba tablets from his computer hard disc.

"Actually his brother Motin was the godfather and Tufan was peddling drugs under his supervision," said Sumit, now an additional SP in Rajshahi.

Both Tufan and Motin were sent to jail and charge-sheeted in a drug case. But they got out using their clouts and Sumit was transferred to Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Locals said Tufan got engaged in drug peddling soon after he dropped out of school while in class-IX. It was like his family business, they added.

No locals would be quoted by name as they fear backlash from the Sarkar family.   

In 2013, Tufan was made accused in a case over the murder of Jubo Dal activist Imran, who was hacked to death in his house in Chaksutrapur. Police officials say Tufan's brothers paid the complainant a good amount of money to drop his name from the case.

After walking out of jail following the 2011 incident, he joined Bogra town unit of Sramik League, a pro-ruling Awami League workers body. After that he did not look back.

He paid huge sums to some local AL leaders and grabbed the convener post of the unit at the end of 2015.

Now he focused on extortion from easybikes (improvised three-wheelers) and battery-run rickshaws.

Every easybike had to pay him Tk 15,000 to 20,000 to start plying the road and battery-run rickshaws Tk 2,500-3,000 each. In addition, he got Tk 30 daily from every battery-run rickshaw.

About 10,000 easybikes and 20,000 battery-run rickshaws are operating in Bogra town.

Tufan formed separate groups for extortion and drug business, police and locals said.

Allegedly with the help of local administration, Tufan and Motin organised a fair in 2015, the main purpose of which was to arrange gambling. The fair lasted till Ramadan last year.

Bogra Deputy Commissioner Nure Alam Siddique said he took charge of the district last month and so was not in a position to make comments about why actions were not taken against Tufan.

"He is now arrested on specific charges. The law will take its own course."

Bogra District AL President Momtaz Uddin termed the rape and torture of the girl a heinous crime and said Tufan should stand a “special trial”.

Asked why action was not taken despite Tufan's involvement in various crimes for years, he said, "Who will take action? Do they [people like Tufan] follow by party decisions?"

He said he did not understand how a man like Tufan got into AL politics.

Motin Sarkar could not be reached for comments.

Tufan on July 17 abducted the girl from her home and raped her and then asked his party cadres and a woman councillor to make sure everything was hushed up.

Accordingly, they picked up the student and her mother on Friday, tortured them for four hours and then shaved their heads.

People from different quarters and various socio-cultural and political organisations expressed deep shock over the incident and demanded the government ensure safety and treatment of the victim and her mother.

The incident also triggered outrage in social media as the photos of the mother and daughter with their shaved heads were shared online.