Judge, 2 others sued over gang attack, Tk50 lakh extortion in Ctg

A case has been filed against a judge, his brother and another person over allegations of leading a teenage gang in an attack on a house in Chattogram's Panchlaish, vandalising property and demanding Tk50 lakh in extortion.

The Chattogram Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court has taken the case into cognisance and ordered the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to investigate the allegations.

Mohammad Abid Chowdhury, 36, a resident of Panchlaish, filed the case, CR No 1008/2026, today (14 September).

Judge Delwar Hossain Shamim, his brother Sohrab Hossain alias Sourav and their caretaker Saiful Islam have been named as accused. Another 15-20 people have also been accused anonymously.

According to the case statement, a theft took place at Abid's house on 6 September, following which he filed an online general diary.

The following day, at around 3:40pm, a group of 15-20 people allegedly attacked the house.

The complainant alleged that the attackers entered by breaking the western gate or climbing over the boundary wall, vandalised various parts of the property, threatened family members with death and demanded Tk50 lakh.

The case statement said Abid's family had been involved in a longstanding dispute with Judge Delwar Hossain Shamim over an access road on the western side of the house.

It alleged that Abid had been pressured to hand over control of the road and build a wall along the western side of the property.

Abid alleged that the attackers damaged the house gate, water pipes and other structures, causing losses of around Tk2 lakh. They also allegedly attempted to set fire to a motorcycle.

The complainant said he had video footage and CCTV recordings that he claimed showed the attack, vandalism and threats.

The case also refers to an incident in 2021.

Abid alleged that his elder brother Arif Chowdhury was abducted and disappeared on 9 September that year in an attempt to kill him. He further alleged that Judge Delwar Hossain Shamim and a then RAB official were involved.

Speaking at a press conference at a lawyer's chamber on the Chattogram court premises this afternoon, Abid alleged that the judge had been abusing his position for years and causing damage to his property.

He said the judge wanted to use the access road exclusively as a private road to his house and prevent Abid's family from using it.

"We allege that he arranged the attack through a teenage gang. The attack was led by his brother Sourav," Abid said, adding that the family had sought the court's intervention for a proper investigation and justice.

Regarding the 2021 incident, Abid said his brother was eventually rescued after repeated efforts but the family did not receive legal redress at the time. He added that they were now concerned about the safety of family members.

Advocate Nasir Ali, counsel for the complainant, told The Business Standard that the case was filed before the Chattogram Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court and that the court had ordered the PBI to investigate.

"We submitted some video footage related to the case to the court. After reviewing the footage, the court ordered the PBI to investigate," he said.

The PBI has been directed to submit its investigation report by 7 December.

The accused, including Judge Shamim, could not be reached despite several attempts for their comments on the allegations.