From hope to controversy: How a SAD leader ended up in extortion case
Once locally known as a promising student from a struggling family, Riyad’s recent arrest has left his community shocked

In a small village in Noakhali's Senbagh upazila, a newly built brick house, still under construction, has drawn the attention of the locals recently.
The house, located south of Nobipur Bazar, belongs to the family of Abdur Razzak Bin Sulaiman Riyad, a young man now at the centre of a high-profile extortion case in Dhaka.
Once locally known as a promising student from a struggling family, Riyad's recent arrest has left his community shocked.
Riyad, now behind bars, was arrested alongside four others on charges of attempting to extort Tk50 lakh from a former Awami League lawmaker at her home in Gulshan.
Four, including Riyad, were placed on a seven-day remand on Sunday. Another accused was sent to a juvenile development centre as he is a minor.
According to police, the group presented themselves as Student Against Discrimination (SAD) coordinators during the incident.
For those who knew him growing up, Riyad was a good student from a poor family. His father, Abu Raihan, struggled as a rickshaw puller to support the family. His mother, Nazmun Nahar, took on domestic work to make ends meet.
They lived in a tin-roofed home, just the basic shelter needed to weather life's hardships. The youngest of four siblings, Riyad was the one the family pinned its hopes on.
"People used to help him with school fees. His father could not afford it, but Riyad was bright," recalled Shihab Uddin, a former head teacher of Nobipur High School, where Riyad completed his SSC.
After enrolling in Government Mujib College in Companyganj, he became involved with the Chhatra League, the student wing of the Awami League, according to locals.
He aligned himself with Abdul Quader Mirza, mayor of Basurhat Pourashava and brother of senior AL leader Obaidul Quader, they said, adding that he often posted his photos with local Awami League leaders on Facebook.
Later, Riyad moved to Dhaka for higher studies at a private university.
Last year, he rebranded himself as an anti-quota movement activist and later served as a joint convener of the Students Against Discrimination's private university wing. Following the fall of the government through the July uprising, Riyad solidified his position in the platform.
After the formation of Bangladesh Democratic Student Council, he became its central committee member.
Both organisations expelled him after the Gulshan incident came to light.
But it was not just his activism that caught people's attention. Back in Nobipur, residents began to notice changes.
A new house was being built beside the old tin-roofed one. Riyad was also reportedly driving an expensive car.
He had returned home occasionally, but now with a visible air of influence, reinforced by the photos he shared online with leaders from various political backgrounds.
"We were surprised to see Riyad's luxurious lifestyle and the construction of a concrete house after 5 August, considering his family used to survive on rickshaw pulling, living hand to mouth," said a neighbour, requesting anonymity.
Local sentiment now ranges from confusion to quiet anger. Many said they were afraid to speak out earlier.
Some believe there are more like him, activists turned extortionists, who have learned to mask greed in the language of reform and protest.
Riyad's mother refuses to believe the accusations.
"We went hungry to send him to the city. He was doing well in his studies. I saw on TV that he was arrested. I heard about the extortion. I believe someone has framed him," she said, teary-eyed.
Despite the family's denial, the images of Riyad in police custody and the court's decision to grant remand have turned his story into a cautionary tale.
His story, once one of progress, is now becoming a symbol of what happens when ambition loses its moral compass.
Locals are now calling for a wider investigation into how young men with modest backgrounds are acquiring wealth and influence so rapidly.
"It cannot just be Riyad. There must be others hiding behind movements and committees, using them to build fortunes," said another resident.
Following the arrests, however, SAD suspended activities of all its regional and district-level committees across the country yesterday, leaving only the central committee active.