Narayanganj Correspondent

A joint forces arrested Mokarram Sardar (48), a former chairman of Nikli Union and known as the "cashier" of Mohammad Harun Or Rashid, former Additional Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), from the Aliganj area in Fatulla, Narayanganj.

Mokarram, hailing from Dampura in Nikli police station of Kishoreganj district, is the son of the late Nurul Islam.

On Monday , Fatulla Model Police Station OC Shariful Islam confirmed the arrest, stating that Mokarram was handed over by the army to Fatulla police station late at night. He has been detained in a case related to extortion, with several other cases, including murder, pending against him.

Previously, on October 2 of this month, a case was filed against former Detective Branch (DB) chief Harun Or Rashid, Mokarram, and nine others in connection with an incident of extortion and assault in Fatulla. Five unknown individuals were also listed as suspects in the case. Shah Alam, a businessman, filed the case in the Judicial Magistrate's Court, which led to a directive for the case to be registered at Fatulla police station.

According to the complaint, on September 15, 2020, the accused held a gun to the plaintiff and forcefully took away taka 20 lakh in cash along with important documents. The plaintiff was abducted and taken to Mokarram’s office in Aliganj, where he was assaulted, and coerced into signing ten blank checks and stamped papers.

Reports suggest that Mokarram initially began as a labourer handling loading and unloading under the guidance of central Workers' League leader Kausar Ahmed Palash in Fatulla. Eventually, he became a gang leader, accumulating significant wealth. During the political upheaval of the 1/11 era, several companies abandoned their goods, which Mokarram and his associates, under Palash’s protection, allegedly took and profited from.

In December 2018, Harun assumed the role of SP in Narayanganj and took Mokarram under his wing. Through Mokarram, Harun controlled coal and stone businesses and the smuggling of ship goods, accumulating substantial wealth. Mokarram managed Harun’s extensive network of business interests in coal, fertilizer, sand, stone, and hundreds of millions of takas worth of other ventures.

Mokarram also became the caretaker of Harun's wealth, which funded a private hospital in Mirpur, Dhaka, where Harun’s brother, Dr. ABM Shahriar, serves as the primary administrator. In addition, Mokarram owns 10 plots in Aliganj, Narayanganj, including four lavish mansions, known locally as the "SP’s houses."

Mokarram was elected as an Upazila Parishad Chairman on May 21, a victory allegedly influenced by Harun’s connections within Kishoreganj District Police. Following his victory, he traveled to Dhaka to exchange congratulatory flowers with Harun.

Furthermore, Harun’s funds supported the construction of an auto rice mill in Nanshree village of Nikli. Harun himself visited the mill by helicopter in January 2021 while serving as DC of DMP’s Tejgaon Zone. The facility, spanning over two acres and planned to process 100 tons of rice daily, is yet to be inaugurated officially.

Although Mokarram claims he financed the mill with a CC loan from Agrani Bank in Nikli, locals allege the 50 crores taka project had nominal bank involvement. Beyond the rice mill, Mokarram manages seven brick kilns and significant land holdings under Harun’s name in various areas of Kishoreganj.

In Binnagaon, Kishoreganj, Mokarram purchased two large plots with Harun’s funds, alongside another three-story house in the lawyer’s neighborhood of the city. In Ghagra Union, Hossainpur, Harun developed an exclusive "President Resort" worth hundreds of millions of takas and planned to establish a large agro-project on 100 acres of land in the adjacent haor (wetlands).

Recently, Mokarram launched a movie project depicting Harun’s life story titled "Haor-er Manik" (Manik of the Wetlands), intended to portray Harun as a heroic police officer in the haor region.