Police arrested a woman and her three children in Faridpur on Thursday following an extortion case linked to a long-standing land dispute.
The suspects Momtaz Begum (52) and her children Sohag Talukder (30), Sumon Talukder (26), and Shahana Begum (28) were sent to jail by a local court.
The arrests followed a complaint filed on Wednesday night by Parvez Ahmed Khan, a resident of the South Tepakhola area. Khan alleged that the family demanded Tk 20 lakh in extortion and threatened him to vacate his property.
According to the case statement, Khan and a partner purchased 8 decimals of land and a building adjacent to Momtaz Begum’s home last year for Tk 74 lakh. Since moving in they claim the neighbors have harassed them damaged their boundary wall and recently attacked the house with sharp weapons on April 9 after they refused to pay the demanded sum.
Video footage of the arrest shows a heated confrontation where the suspects scuffled with female police officers. One of the arrested, Shahana Begum was heard shouting that the property belonged to her grandfather.
Local sources suggest the land originally belonged to Momtaz’s late husband Nusu Mia Talukder who sold it over a decade ago. Since then the property has changed hands at least five times. Momtaz Begum reportedly has an ongoing court case regarding the ownership of the land.
The complainant Parvez Ahmed Khan told reporters "We bought this land legally but they are now trying to force us out through threats and violence."
Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md. Shahidul Islam confirmed the arrests, stating that the action was taken based on the specific allegations of extortion and assault mentioned in the formal complaint.
