Own Correspondent: A case has been registered in the court against the former mayor of Chittagong City Corporation (CHSIC), Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, and six people, including his family members, on the charge of embezzlement of money, including forcibly writing down the property under the threat of murder and disappearance of the body. Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Krishak Dal Central Committee Co-Organizing Secretary M Saifuddin Syed filed the case in the Chittagong Magistrate’s Court on Monday. Saifuddin is a resident of Boalkhali Upazila of Chittagong.
The court took cognizance of the complaint and directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to investigate and submit a report, said the plaintiff’s lawyer.
Apart from the former mayor, the other accused in the case are Rezaul Karim’s daughter Sabiha Tasnim Tanim, brother Nurul Karim Chowdhury, close relatives and neighbors Mahmudur Rahman Chowdhury, Tipu Rahman, and Nazrul Islam Apu.
The plaintiff’s lawyer, Sirajul Islam Chowdhury, said that last year (2023), the defendants were accused of killing the plaintiff, threatening to lose his body, and forcing him to sign a property. Various charges have been brought, including embezzlement of the land after recording it and selling it and not paying Tk 3 crore 13 lakh as promised.
In the case, the plaintiff alleged that he was renting out some shops he had built in Bahaddarhat. At that time, the two defendants in the case, Mahmudur Rahman Chowdhury and Tipu Rahman, were running the shop without paying the rent on time after taking the shop rent.
After Rezaul Karim Chowdhury became mayor in 2020, he offered to sell the scheduled land to the plaintiff. As the plaintiff did not agree, the mayor got angry with the plaintiff. The plaintiff informed me about the plan to construct a market at the place. At that time, Rezaul Karim Chowdhury threatened to kill the plaintiff and disappear the body if he did not leave his place.
On August 14, 2023, when the plaintiff left his present residence for work, the accused picked him up in a car and took him to Chandgaon Sub-Registry Office. Later, they threatened to kill him and forcefully obtained his signature on the sub-entitlement sale deed of his scheduled property.
At that time, original copies of three pay orders of 87 lakh taka were given to the plaintiff, and it was informed that the remaining pay order of 3 crore 13 lakh taka would be given after one month. Later, when he went to the Chittagong City Corporation office at Tigerpass to ask for the remaining money from Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, he denied the money transaction and kicked the plaintiff out of the office.
Plaintiff said that earlier he could not file the case due to fear. After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5, the situation normalized, and he filed the case.
Meanwhile, like many other Awami League leaders, former mayor Rezaul Karim has been in hiding since the fall of the government.
