Son of a hawker from Sirajganj, a cunning Nayem Ashraf, one of the prime accused in the Banani rape case, made his fortune by swindling hefty amounts from unemployed youths and leaking question papers, police interrogators said.

Identifying himself as a Dhaka University graduate and a member of a respected family, he married at least four girls from well-off families.

However, none of the marriages lasted as his wives later came to know about his real background.

Nayem is now on seven-day police remand.

His event management firm organised a concert of a renowned foreign singer in Dhaka in 2014. He reportedly made a profit of Tk 75 lakh from the event.

According to his social media profiles, he also owns a restaurant in Gulshan which was opened in November 2015.

Ahmed Shafat, son of Dildar Ahmed Selim, one of the owners of Apan Jewellers, and Nayem allegedly raped two private university girls at The Raintree Dhaka hotel in Banani on March 28.

Shafat's driver Billal Hossain filmed the rape, his bodyguard Rahmat Ali intimidated the girls while Shadman Sakif, who introduced the girls to the “rapists” 15 days before the incident, refrained from informing the hotel authorities and the police about the incident, one of the victims alleged, adding that all the five accused were “drunk”.

One of the girls filed the rape case with Banani Police Station on May 6 and all the five fled the   capital.

The Women Support and Investigation Division of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) is investigating the case.

Meanwhile, one of the victims yesterday alleged that some people were trying to spread misleading information through a few fake social media accounts by posting some close-up pictures of Shafat and a victim.

CHEAT SINCE SCHOOL DAYS

Nayem told interrogators that he first met Sakif at a programme in the capital and later came to know Shafat. He used to follow Shafat's instructions as the latter was rich and influential.

According to police and a relative of Nayem, the accused first got involved in criminal activities by leaking questions of his school exams in 2003. As he was in class X, the school authorities didn't expel him and allowed him to take the Secondary School Certificate exams.

Although he used to identify himself as Nayem Ashraf, his real name is Hasan Mohammad Halim, son of Amjad Hossain, from Gandail village in Sirajganj's Kazipur upazila.

Ashraf Ali, chairman of Gandhail Union Parishad, told The Daily Star that Halim adopted the name Nayem which is the name of his son. He deceived a number of girls.

In 2004, he went to Bogra Polytechnic Institute. But he was forced to quit studies and leave the district after marrying a girl under false pretences, Ashraf added.

He reportedly got admitted to Dhaka Polytechnic Institute in Tejgaon. He also worked at the IT section of a private TV channel.

Nayem used to claim himself to be a DU graduate and to prove this he formed good friendship with some DU Chhatra League leaders and used to stay at different dormitories of the university, police said.

Although he seldom visited his village home, some banners were seen in Kazipur upazila in recent months, which identified Nayem as the vice-president of Swechchhasebok League, reports our Pabna correspondent. 

The accused opened an event management firm -- Emakers Media and Entertainment -- in the capital and used it as a means to “hobnob” with female students and introduce them to sons of rich people, said police.

Law enforcers arrested Nayem in Lohajang upazila of Munshiganj on Wednesday.

Sheikh Nazmul Alam, deputy commissioner of the DMP's Detective Brach, told The Daily Star yesterday that Nayem during primary interrogation admitted his involvement in the rape incident.

“We will definitely check whether he has any link with any other crime,” he added.

On Thursday, Shafat and Sakif gave confessional statements to a Dhaka court in the case. A joint team of police had arrested the two in Sylhet on May 11.

Shafat's driver Billal and bodyguard Rahmat were picked up from the capital on Monday.