Extortionists vandalise business office, loot Tk35 lakh in Ctg

DDN Owner Adil Bin Mamun said a person named “David Imon” made the call two days ago using a foreign-registered number. Adil Bin Mamun alleged that David Imon is an associate of terrorist Sajjad Ali

A group of miscreants, armed with sharp local weapons, vandalised the office of an internet service provider (ISP) and looted Tk35 lakh in cash in Chattogram city on Monday noon.

Sajjad Ali, a top-listed terrorist absconding abroad, and his associates were allegedly behind the attack on the Digital Dot Net (DDN) office after his demands for extortion went unheeded.

According to Rabiul Hossain Rakib, head of sales at DDN, a group of around 35-40 masked and weapon-wielding assailants suddenly stormed the office located on the Chandnapur Access Road in the port city around 12:15pm.

They vandalised computers, furniture and smartphones of the employees during the raid, causing panic. They also looted Tk35 lakh kept at the office for paying employees’ salaries.

Rabiul Hossain Rakib claimed that the business owner, Adil Bin Mamun, received a threat call a few days back, where the caller demanded Tk2 crore in one-time up-front payment and Tk50 lakh in monthly payment.

DDN management team receives many such threat calls demanding extortion, and consider them “prank calls.” They also thought the latest call to be a “futile extortion attempt,” Rakib said.

DDN Owner Adil Bin Mamun said a person named “David Imon” made the call two days ago using a foreign-registered number. Adil Bin Mamun alleged that David Imon is an associate of terrorist Sajjad Ali.

In the phone conversation, David Imon also claimed that everyone including the police knew him, and that his team was involved in the firing at the residence of another businessman Mujbur Rahman in late-February.

Chawkbazar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Noor Hossain Mamun said police are working to identify the assailants over Monday’s incident by reviewing the CCTV footage and through other means. Legal actions will be taken against the culprits.