Sikder Group directors are on the run: Police
“A police team visited the accused’s residence several times but they were on the run since the incident took place”
Police has said the two directors of Sikder Group are on the run after they allegedly tried to kill Exim Bank's Managing Director (MD) Mohammad Haider Ali Mia and Additional MD Mohammad Firoz Hossain by shooting them for refusing to price the value of the directors' mortgaged property at a higher level for a loan.
The victims filed an attempt-to-murder case with Gulshan police station.
Deputy Commissioner of Gulshan Division Sudip Kumar Chakroborty told The Business Standard, "They are trying to get information about the two accused."
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"A police team visited the accused's residence several times but they were on the run since the incident took place," he added.
Officer-in-Charge Quamruzzaman told The Business Standard, "They are trying to know whether the claim is authentic or not."
According to the case statement, the incident took place on May 7 and Exim Bank filed the case on May 19.
The whole incident took place over a loan proposal of Tk500 crore. Haider Ali and Firoz Hossain were invited to inspect the Sikder Group directors' mortgaged property against the loan.
At that time, the Exim Bank officials were beaten and shot by Ron and Dipu after the formers said the mortgage value of the property as security was less than what the brothers claimed.
Sikder Group directors also forced the Exim Bank officials to sign a blank white paper, according to the case statement.
According to the case statement, Sikder Group had earlier applied for a loan of Tk 500 crore from Exim Bank.
On May 7 around 11 am, Ron Haque Sikder and National Bank's Managing Director came to Exim Bank's Gulshan head office.
They tricked Exim Bank's managing director and additional managing director into visiting the original Nawab Askari Jute Mill in Rupganj as collateral against the loan. During the inspection, the bank officials said the mortgage value of the property as security was less than the value shown in the documents.
Ron Haque Sikder then asked them to visit another property the "Icon Tower" in Purbachal.
There was a scheduled meeting between Exim Bank and Bangladesh Bank on the day. So, they managing director was in a hurry. Still he and the additional managing director visited the project from outside on Ron's request. Ron insisted them on going inside the project area. However, as the area was unfamiliar to them, they started returning to Dhaka along the 300 Feet Road.
They pulled over when they saw Ron Haque Sikder and the managing director of National Bank on that road.
The National Bank managing director told the Exim bank officials, "Mr Ron Haque is very upset and angry that you failed to appear at the place he asked you to."
Ron Haque made them apologise and shortly afterwards, he lowered his car window and fired at the Exim Bank managing director. However, it went past his left ear. After that, when Ron was about to shoot again, the Exim Bank managing director took shelter behind the car.
Then the accused snatched his phone and put him in Ron's car. The additional MD of the bank was then picked up in the car of the MD of Exim Bank along with the security guard of Ron Haque Sikder. The guard snatched the mobile phones of the additional MD and the drivers. Ron took them hostage at gunpoint on separate floors of Sikder House in Banani 11.
They forced the victims to sign on a paper agreeing everything is alright in project and took the additional managing director's sign as a witness.
After signing the document, at around 530 pm Dipu Haque Sikder ordered to take the victims to their father Joynal Haque Sikder and took photos. After torturing them for five hours, at around 7:30pm the accused gave back their cell phones and released the Exim bank executives along with two of their drivers from hostage.
