Disturbing news about Awami League Minister's involvement with a convicted criminal land-grabbing syndicate

Yesterday (Friday) was a very hectic day for me. My sleep was broken by an early morning call from my brother-in-law in Chittagong who mentioned that he had been called by the DC-North for a meeting to discuss Ansar deployment in our Khulshi properties. Some background information is necessary here to understand the issue.

After the land-grabbing goons were removed from our Khulshi properties in Chittagong in a Police raid more than four years and a half ago in June, 2005, we learned the hard way that we needed to have Ansar deployed to protect our properties from land-grabbing criminals that often prey upon the most vulnerable folks within our society. So, we had a contingent of armed Ansars deployed to secure our properties from evil land-grabbing criminals like Jaker Chowdhury (an ex-Rajakar and madrasa daptari), Ekramul Hoq Kaderi, Md. Shahjahan, Mahtabuddin, Momtazuddin, Manjurul Ahsan, Babul Haji, and many others.

In April 2005, during the BNP rule, the crime syndicate was able to get the blessings of Saqa Chowdhury (then adviser to PM Khaleda Zia) and his son Fazlul Quader Chowdhury (Fayyaz). Because of the politician's involvement in the land-grabbing crime, it became very difficult for the law enforcing agents in Bangladesh to evict the criminals from our properties who had evicted 16 tenant families and demolished nine homes. Initially they were reluctant always complaining that their hands were tied and that they were warned by Saqa and his APS Abu Bakr Siddiq not to meddle in the land-grab of our properties. It was really an uphill battle for us who had lived in our properties since the late 1950s.

Fortunately, there were some honest police officers who were willing to risk their career to do what was right and just, without taking any bribe or any other incentive. And Allah is witness to what I write here. Mr Abdullahel Baki (an engineering graduate from BUET who had joined the Police force after passing the BCS exam), then DC-North, investigated and found that we were victims of a criminal land-grabbing syndicate that was led by Jaker Chowdhury (who goes by the name Jaker master). After consulting with all the OCs under his jurisdiction, the CMP Police Commissioner Md. Majadul Haque was courageous enough to call for a police raid against the goons in our properties in June of 2005 and eventually succeeded in evicting them and arresting a couple of low-level criminals. For such courageous activities of calling a spade a spade, Mr Abdullahel Baki, however, was promptly transferred from Chittagong and even sued by the criminal syndicate. Everything was so difficult those days. No government minister and MP was willing to come to the aid of a victim. Even my own classmate, Mahmudur Rahman (Bulbul), then a favorite of PM and his son Tareq, who was the Chairman of BOI, betrayed my trust and did not do anything to alleviate our pains. PM's military secretary was also afraid that he would risk his career if he relayed my letter to the PM on the land-grabbing crime committed by one of her own advisers. I found them to be cowards and self-serving opportunists. The PM's brother Said Iskandar whom I had met in April in his Dandy Dyeing office did not do anything either towards relaying my letter to the PM.

After being advised by Mia Md. Mostaq, then Divisional Commissioner, and Bangladesh Ambassador (to the USA) Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury, I met with Saqa in the PMO soon after his return from Singapore where he had an heart surgery a few days before. No positive outcome came from that meeting either. It looked so hopeless. No justice could be found in Bangladesh. Except Allah's help we could not hope for any positive outcome. And Allah's help came through quarters we least expected!

When the military-backed Care-taker Government came to power in January 11, 2007, and the criminal Jaker was put behind the prison walls, we felt relieved and temporarily withdrew the Ansar, hoping that we won't be revisited by the episode of 2005. But we were wrong. After spending only five weeks, Jaker managed to get free. We later learned that he had tied knots with Lt. Gen. Masuddin. The latter was a student of the Dampara Police Line School when Jaker was a daptari there. So, apparently Jaker was able to seek his help. Probably emboldened by such a connection at the military command, he and his goons tried to break into our properties in January 30 of 2008. We simply could not believe that any criminal would have such guts to do an evil crime under military watch! The corrupt OC of Khulshi Thana was bought by the syndicate before the incursion, who won't respond to our frantic calls for help against the goons. Eventually, after much reluctance, when the police moved in, the goons had left after demolishing our guard house and partially breaking our boundary wall.

After that second attempt by criminal land-grabbing syndicate to grab our properties, we sought the Ansar deployment again. And we have the Ansar deployed again to secure our properties.

After the AL Mahajote government came to power, we all expected that our days of suffering are probably over. After all, the goons were connected previously with the BNP. But we are continuously proven wrong. We forget that in Bangladesh, these powerful land-grabbing criminals have long arms and are always adaptable to find new sponsors, partners and goons to commit their haram activities, totally oblivious of their accountability to Allah on the day of Judgment. With long beards, long kurta, tasbih in hand, and a fitting cap, Jaker even presents himself as a pious man, more like the image one gets of the devil (Shaytan) who had dressed up as an Arab sheikh who conspired with the pagan Arabs to plot the murder of our Prophet Muhammad (S) some 14 centuries ago. It is often difficult for a magistrate, judge or police officer to believe what is behind this evil man. He and his syndicate are well known for forgery, extortion, money laundering and terrorism, and wish to grab illegally properties of many residents of Chittagong with forged power of attorney and deeds. Even the Ispahani Properties is part of their targeted land-grab.

Our family has sued Jaker and his goons for their criminal activities, in which they were found guilty and sentenced to 6.5 year prison term. But nowadays it seems so easy to get bails from the High Court. And as such, after serving only a few weeks, he and his inner circle are free on bail, and continues to plot to illegally grab properties of vulnerable citizens.

We just learned that Jaker was able to now find a new sponsor - Planning Minister (Retd.) Air Vice Marshal A.K. Khandker. When I heard this I simply could not believe it. A letter from the minister's office has been sent to Police to ensure that Ansar is withdrawn from our properties. The reason is not difficult to understand. With Ansars gone, Jaker would be able to trespass our properties with hundreds of his hired goons. I don't know how much share of the potential loot has the minister been promised by Jaker. But this kind of development under the watch of the new government shows that certain things don't change in Bangladesh. Politicians come and go, but criminals remain and always find new partners for their crimes. Allah help us all against such criminals. They plot and Allah plots, and Allah is the best of the Plotters!

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