Suspended co-coordinator of student movement arrested

The police have arrested Omar Faruk Shuvo, the suspended co-coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, in Feni. He was arrested near Feni Model Police Station around 11:00 pm on Tuesday on charges of fraud, extortion, and defamation in a case filed against him.

According to police sources, Siddiqur Rahman filed the case against Shuvo at the police station on behalf of his son, Azizur Rahman Rizvi, a student in the Finance Department at Dhaka University. After the case was filed, an operation was carried out, leading to Shuvo’s arrest.

In August, Shuvo, the son of Nuruzzaman from the village of Jagatjibonpur in Farhadnagar Union of Feni Sadar Upazila, was suspended from his position as co-coordinator of the student movement in Feni for engaging in anti-disciplinary activities during the movement. However, over the past few months, Shuvo was seen attending various programs, meetings, and gatherings, identifying himself as a ‘coordinator’ alongside other district coordinators and student representatives.

The Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Feni Model Police Station, Marma Singh Tripura, said that after the case was filed, the police conducted an operation and arrested him. Shuvo will be sent to jail through court proceedings on Wednesday.

Earlier, Shuvo allegedly demanded extortion from Maulana Mahmudul Hasan, the temporarily suspended principal of Feni Alia Kamil Madrasa, by assuring him that he would be reinstated to his position. A 15-minute and 12-second phone recording of the extortion demand went viral on social media on Tuesday, sparking widespread discussions and debates across the district.

In the viral phone recording, Shuvo is heard demanding 3 lakh taka in extortion from Maulana Mahmudul, mentioning the names of central coordinators Abdul Kader and Hamza Mahbub, and referring to Rizvi as the intermediary.

When asked about it, Rizvi stated, “He (Shuvo) tried to extort money by misusing the names of central coordinators, the information adviser, and mine. Despite having no connection or involvement in this, his actions are dishonorable to me. After learning about this, I filed a complaint with Feni Model Police Station.”