Systematic Extortion Racket at Old Dhaka Badamtali Parking Yard Generates Millions Monthly

Extortion at the Badamtali fruit market in Old Dhaka has reached staggering levels, with local political operatives reportedly collecting millions of takas in illegal parking fees under the guise of official government leases.

The parking yard, located along the Buriganga River near the Buckland Bund, is under the legal jurisdiction of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA). While official government rates for parking a truck are set at 100 takas, operators are systematically forced to pay between 2,000 and 7,000 takas per vehicle. Failure to pay often results in physical violence against drivers.

According to local traders and drivers, the extortion operation is managed by figures affiliated with the Jatiotabadi Sramik Dal and Jubo Dal. Key individuals identified in the operation include Sramik Dal leader Suman Bhuiyan, and former Jubo Dal leaders Ahmed Hossain Sobhan and Jewel Hawlader.

The site was originally leased for the 2024 fiscal year to Sheikh Abdul Karim, a local Awami League leader and former Union Parishad chairman. Following the political upheaval on August 5, 2024, Karim went into hiding. Suman Bhuiyan claims that Karim authorized the current leadership to manage the site and handle the monthly payments to the BIWTA, though this claim remains unverified as Karim has remained unreachable.

BIWTA officials acknowledged that the parking yard has not been re-tendered due to ongoing litigation, forcing the authority to extend the existing lease on a monthly basis. Joint Director Mobarak Hossain Mazumdar stated that the agency has no legal authority to collect fees above the set tariff and urged victims to file written complaints. However, local business owners allege that corrupt officials within the BIWTA are complicit in the scheme, sharing in the proceeds of the extortion.

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Field observations on July 3 revealed a coordinated collection effort. A group of six employees, including an individual identified as Sohrab Hossain of the 37th Ward Jubo Dal, were seen collecting payments from drivers without issuing receipts. Workers at the site stated that they act as salaried employees, collecting approximately 300,000 takas daily, with monthly totals often exceeding 9 million takas when including fees levied against smaller vehicles and local kiosks.

The persistent extortion has a direct impact on consumer prices at Badamtali, which serves as one of the nation’s largest wholesale fruit hubs. Business owners report that because these illicit fees are treated as an overhead cost, the burden is passed directly to the consumers. Sirajul Islam, president of the Dhaka Metropolitan Fruit Importer-Exporter and Aratdar Cooperative Association, confirmed that higher parking costs are systematically factored into the retail price of fruits.

Despite reports to local political representatives, including former Member of Parliament Ishraque Hossain, efforts to curb the illegal fees have proven ineffective. The facility continues to operate under the shadow of political patronage, with the legal dispute regarding the lease serving as a bottleneck that prevents the implementation of transparent, public bidding.