A mobile court has jailed a young man for 15 days for allegedly posing as a journalist and demanding extortion money at the Alamdanga Upazila Land Office.
ASM Shahnewas Mehadi, assistant commissioner (land) of Alamdanga upazila, said legal action was taken against Md Sabuj Sheikh, son of Qazed Ali of Chuadanga municipality, on Thursday.
According to land office sources, Sabuj, accompanied by an aide, entered the office claiming to be a journalist and later demanded money, saying he was collecting funds to mark the founding anniversary of a newspaper.
Sensing something suspicious, the assistant commissioner asked him to provide details of his identity and the name of the editor of the newspaper he claimed to represent.
However, Sabuj failed to provide the required information, including the name and details of the editor, the sources said.
During questioning, he reportedly admitted that he entered the office by falsely identifying himself as a journalist.
An identity card bearing the name “The Bangla Independent” was also recovered from him, the sources said.
Later, the mobile court sentenced Sabuj to 15 days in jail and released his aide on bond.