# It formed under leadership of ex Home Minister, labor leader Maqbul-Mamun
# Extortion of Tk 20-30 cr per month from trucks, pickups and covered vans
# Embezzlement of crores by selling and renting shops in multi-storied market
# It also turned into a ‘safe zone’ for crimes, extortion, land grabbing, drugs
The truck drivers have to pay extortion at different places on the highway. But they have to pay a huge amount of money at the Tejgaon truck stand. Extortion of Tk 20 to 30 crore is being done around this truck stand every month.
A truck driver Sohel Ahmed (pseudonym) at Tejgaon truck stands in the capital informed to the reporter.
He also said that victims will not have the opportunity to ask why extortion is being sought. Because when you talk about it, the torture begins. Not only extortion, but a mafia empire has been built around the truck stand in the busiest area of the capital.
The recent ongoing Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, local commissioners and some labour leaders are in control of the kingdom. This truck stand is being developed as a 'safe zone' for extortion, shop occupation and drug trade.
The gang is embezzling the money by occupying hundreds of shops in the market built on the three floors of the multi-storey mosque built on the ownership of the truck stand. In addition to extorting crores every month by constructing markets and multi-storied buildings by constructing illegal structures, trucks, covered vans and pickups are being extorted Tk 120 from each vehicle when they enter the Tejgaon terminal.
According to the victims, under the patronage of former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Transport Association President Mogbul Hossain, Truck Drivers' Union President Monir Talukder and General Secretary Abdul Kashem Co. are taking over shops, extortion per vehicle and controlling drug trade.
These mafias torture the workers if they try not to pay the extortion or if they protest. Even after the fall of Awami League (AL), efforts are being made to sustain this criminal empire.
On Wednesday, the general workers politely requested the motor workers and owners not to pay the extortion through the mike of the mosque adjacent to the Tejgaon stand. And the occupying force, appointed by the former Home Minister, was enraged. The terrorist forces severely beat the Khatib of the mosque at the behest of the extortionists for using the mosque's mike. The workers later rescued him.
After observing, it was seen that land is taken from the railway for flower gardening. However, Maqbul-Mamun Co. has looted crores of taka for the sale of shops and positions, advance and rent by building multi-storied buildings without flower gardens on that land. A large part of the money was regularly given to the newly ousted Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to manage the administration. As a result, no one could speak against it. If anyone tried to protest, they were beaten up as well as harassed by the administration.
"They have tarnished the country's reputation. They used to conveniently remove many export products. Garment traders have been affected. Later, these products were sold in the open market in different places including Islampur-Gulistan. Although they could not eat 15 years ago, these workers now own more than one house and car in Dhaka city. If the ACC investigates, illegal wealth worth crores of taka will come out," said a labour leader on condition of anonymity.
In this regard, the general workers said that after the fall of Sheikh Hasina in the student movement, no extortionist will be allowed anywhere in the country. Extortionists must be uprooted from all sectors of transport. Not only the truck stand, the people's expectation is that the whole country will be free from extortionists.
ZH
