Victim Framed as Fraud, Jailed by Police; Audio Leak Reveals Money Extortion

Anowar Hossain: In Thakurgaon’s Ranisankail upazila, police arrested five people on charges of fraud after allegedly showing fake gold idols and silver coins. They were later sent to jail through a court case. However, an audio recording leaked three days after the incident has revealed shocking details—those arrested were in fact victims, not fraudsters.

According to the leaked audio, several police officers, including the officer-in-charge (OC) of Ranisankail Police Station Arshadul Haque and Sub-Inspector (SI) Shahidul Islam, were allegedly involved in extorting Tk 6.8 lakh from the detainees. The audio features a conversation between a police informant named Akash and SI Shahidul Islam.

In the recording, Akash says: “I knew from the beginning that those you arrested were innocent buyers who mistakenly came to purchase fake gold. They had Tk 6.8 lakh with them. Our deal was that I would hand them over and in return get Tk 30,000 per lakh. But you didn’t pay.”

Responding to this, SI Shahidul Islam says: “No, they didn’t have that much money. Only Tk 3 lakh was recovered, which was returned. Later they happily gave Tk 50,000 to the OC.” Akash then protests, saying: “None of them got their money back. They are all in jail. Why were innocent people framed?” Shahidul Islam later admits: “They were indeed innocent. Even senior officers advised not to file a case, but the OC made the final decision.”

The 13-minute 42-second audio has gone viral on social media, sparking outrage among locals. Many netizens commented that such incidents show how ordinary people remain hostage to corrupt police even after changes in government.

Confirming the authenticity of the conversation, SI Shahidul Islam said: “I only spoke to Akash on the OC’s instructions. I am not at fault.”

Ranisankail Circle ASP Snehashish Kumar Das said: “We are aware of the matter. Action will be taken after investigation as per the Superintendent of Police’s directives.”

Thakurgaon Superintendent of Police Zahidul Islam also said: “The incident has come to our attention. An investigation is underway. If anyone is found involved, strict administrative action will be taken.”

Earlier on Tuesday (September 1), OC Arshadul Haque of Ranisankail Police Station claimed that five people had been arrested with fake golden idols, old silver coins, and cash used in fraudulent activities, and that they were sent to jail through the court. But following the audio leak, serious questions have been raised about whether the so-called fraudsters were actually innocent victims.