Police File Case Against Ambulance Syndicate at CMCH for Extortion and Assault

A police case has been filed against an alleged ambulance syndicate operating at Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH). The group faces charges of holding patients' families hostage, extorting exorbitant fares, blocking outside vehicles, and attacking political activists who protested their actions.

Sub-Inspector (SI) Md. Ashraf Uddin Sardar filed the case as the plaintiff at Panchlaish Police Station on Sunday, June 21.

The case accuses 20 to 30 unidentified members of the Chittagong Ambulance Owners' Cooperative Association and local drivers. Charges encompass illegal assembly, assault, extortion, fraud, and violations of the Road Transport Act.

According to the case statement, the syndicate attacked a Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP) human chain protesting the extortion near the hospital’s east gate on June 7. The attackers fled before police arrived. Three NCP leaders—Ashikur Rahman Ashiq, Asif Chowdhury, and Shahadat Hossain Maruf—were injured in the assault.

The official complaint outlines how the syndicate systematically forces vulnerable families to pay inflated transport fares. To maintain their monopoly, the group actively blocks authorized, outside ambulances from entering the hospital premises. Furthermore, the syndicate allegedly operates standard microbuses lacking fitness and route permits, illegally converting them into fake ambulances with blue lights and sirens.

Police cited specific incidents of public harassment. Last March, Mohammad Ali, a resident of Fatikchhari, was held against his will for several hours while trying to collect his father's body. He was ultimately forced to pay Tk 7,500 to a syndicate ambulance. Another victim, Mujibur Rahman Jiban, reported that in July 2025, he faced threats of violence for attempting to use an outside ambulance and was extorted Tk 3,000 simply to transport a body to nearby Chandgaon.

The syndicate's activities came to the court's attention following investigative video reports published on social media and news portals. On June 8, the Chittagong Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court directed the Additional Deputy Commissioner of the CMP's North Division to investigate. After finding preliminary evidence of the syndicate's illegal activities, the court ordered Panchlaish Police Station to officially register the case.