Bangladesh Police Officers Accused of Extorting Cash and Cryptocurrency

Two officers of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) have been accused of extorting cash and cryptocurrency from a businessman in Bangladesh. Assistant Commissioner Shariful Alam Sujon and his team allegedly detained Akhtaruzzaman Shakil, 27, and his friend Mansur Ali on September 4. They took the men to the Law and Order Intelligence Cell (LIC) office and threatened to implicate them in a gambling case.

The officers allegedly seized their mobile phones and transferred personal information and photographs to another device. Shakil claimed that AC Shariful and his team forced him to transfer $10,864 from his Binance account in three transactions. He also alleged that they made him withdraw Tk 4 lakh (approximately $45,000) from a bank booth near the CMP office.

Mansur said that the officers initially demanded Tk 1 crore ($115,000), but Shakil eventually agreed to pay Tk 20 lakh ($22,500) out of fear. The two men were released around midnight after the officers recorded videos and obtained their signatures on a blank sheet.