Two of five Armed Police Battalion (APBn) men in Barisal were closed while the remaining three were ordered to cancel their leave and report to the headquarters over allegations that they were extorting money from people by impersonating Detective Branch (DB) members of Barisal Metropolitan Police (BMP).

Md Ibrahim, a sub-inspector, and Abu Jafar, an assistant sub-inspector, were closed to APBn Barisal while the remaining three are Abul Bashar, an assistant superintendent; Abul Kalam, a nayek; and Sudarshan, a constable, said APBn Additional Superintendent Asmar Hossain.

BMP DB Assistant Commissioner Azad Rahaman told The Daily Star on Tuesday night that the five, impersonating DB men in plainclothes, had forced four persons with threats of arrest and harassment to give them around Tk 17 lakh in three separate incidents before and after Eid-ul-Azha.

DB men, disguised as drug peddlers, rented two rooms in Hotel Imperial in KB Hemayetuddin Road of Barisal city and informed the five through sources that an exchange was about to occur, he said.

The five in plainclothes arrived on Monday morning and, claiming to be DB men, tried to arrest them, said Azad, adding that DMP DB handed the five over to the APBN authorities as per orders from the BMP top brass.

A three-member committee has been formed, headed by BMP Deputy Commissioner (Headquarters) Shoyeb Ahmed and comprising a BMP DB assistant commissioner and an APBn additional superintendent, to investigate the matter.

BMP Commissioner Shoibal Kanti Chowdhury yesterday assured that if found guilty, none would be excluded from punishment.