Fake NSI officer held while taking Tk 5 lakh bribe in Natore

A man posing as an official from the National Security Intelligence (NSI) has been detained in Natore while attempting to extort Tk 5 lakh in bribes.

The accused, Nazmul Hossain (32), was held around 10 PM on Sunday night in front of the Model Mosque in Gurudaspur Municipality by NSI officials, with assistance from army personnel. He was later handed over to the local police.

Nazmul, a resident of Khamar Nachkoir village in Gurudaspur upazila, had falsely claimed to be an NSI field officer. According to police, he contacted the local food warehouse office, alleging that inedible rice had been purchased and that an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had confirmed the claim. He even sent a forged letter, purportedly from the ACC, and demanded Tk 5 lakh to suppress the matter.

Suspicious of his behavior, the upazila food warehouse officer alerted the district food controller, who then verified with the NSI office in Natore that Nazmul had no ties to the agency. Authorities then devised a plan to apprehend him.

Julhas Uddin, the chief assistant of the food warehouse, met with Nazmul while pretending to deliver the bribe. As Nazmul arrived to collect the money, he was caught red-handed.

Gurudaspur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Asmaul Haque confirmed that a case has been filed by Julhas Uddin, and the accused has been formally arrested. He will be produced before court on Monday.