At least four Jamaat-e-Islami leaders were sued yesterday for allegedly cheating 55 people in the name of sending them for Hajj. They are Maulana Hafizur Rahman, Sadar upazila 'Shura' and working committee member, Satkhira Pourasava Ward No 8 party secretary Aminul Islam and Kalaroa upazila Jamaat leaders and Kalaroa Alia Madrasa teachers Sheikh Maruf Hossain and Amirul Islam Belali.The complaints were lodged with Satkhira Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Kefayetullah and Kalaroa police station, demanding their arrest and punishment.
It has been alleged that each of the 55 pilgrims deposited between Tk 170,000 to 190,000 with Jebrik Travels in Dhaka for going on pilgrimage to Makkah as per directives of the frauds. But they could not go to Makkah, they alleged.
Of the victims, Habibur Rahman, cousin Abdur Rouf, aunt Anowara Begum and mother Fatema Begum of Ghushuri village in Kaliganj upazila said to this correspondent that they had deposited Tk 9,50,000 with Satkhira Islami Bank through two Jamaat men. Other victims, Abu Taleb and Abdul Khaleque of Gunakarkati village and Amjad Hossain of Adalatpur village in Assassuni upazila and Abdur Rashid of Godara village in Kaliganj upazila also echoed in a similar manner.
Victims, Abdullahel Baki and his wife Arefa Khatun of Kalaroa Sadar and Romjan Ali of Tulshidanga village and others alleged each of them deposited Tk 190,000 to Sheikh Maruf Hossain and Amirul Islam Belali for going to go on pilgrimage to Makkah.
They alleged that the frauds took them to Dhaka on December 14 but they failed to send them to Makkah.
Earlier, owner of Jebrik Travels fled the scene following lodging of complaints against them with the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) in Dhaka.
| I'd flee the scene too if someone lodged a complaint against me with the RAB. It's flee or end up being frog-marched to a weapons-cache in an unnamed upazaila at 3 in the morning, and I already know how that ends ... |