Mastermind of extortion racket targeting tourists held in Cox’s Bazar
Police arrested the mastermind behind the extortion racket that used to trap tourists as part of an organised crime in Cox's Bazar.
The arrestee is Md Abdul Malek, 38, son of late Gora Mia of Pashchim Baharchhara area in Cox's Bazar.
Additional Superintendent of Tourist Police (Cox's Bazar Zone) Md Rezaul Karim said Malek was arrested from in front of Nilima Resort at Sugondha Point of Cox's Bazar sea beach during a drive on Sunday midnight.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
According to police, arrested Malek was operating the extortion racket in the hotel-motel zone in disguise of an easy bike driver. He leads an organized gang of around 30 members.
Earlier on 8 August, tourist police in Cox's Bazar arrested eleven members of an extortion racket. Four people were rescued from captivity during the drive.
Although the miscreants managed to flee the scene using an alternative route, police later arrested 11 members of the gang from the residential cottage zone adjacent to Lighthouse area of the city.
According to the hostages, some nine people - including six male and three female – lured the tourists into the cottage and demanded ransom by threatening them after taking offensive pictures with the accompanying women.
"There have been reports of similar torture cells in other cottages as well," Rezaul Karim said adding that further investigation is underway.
