Dumki-Lebukhali-Baga highway and market fear of extortion by elephants, pedestrians in fear.

In Dumki upazila of Patuakhali district, drivers, passengers and pedestrians are fed up with extortion by elephants on highways and markets. Buses, trucks, motorcycles and CNG auto-rickshaws moving on the Lebukhali-Baga regional road are stopped and no one can proceed without paying money in front of the elephant. Locals complain that the mahouts are behaving badly if they do not pay the elephant or pay less.Even looks scary. Common people and drivers are suffering from this. On the Lebukhali-Baga highway in Sanibar, a large elephant is seen standing in the middle of the road stopping the vehicles coming from both sides of the road, extorting money from its mahout, Kishore Suman. Suman said that her house is in Khoksa Upazila of Kushtia and her father’s name is Shamsur Rahman. How much money have you received so far?’ On such a question, Suman showed his hand bag and said with a smile, this is it sir.When asked the name of the elephant’s owner, he said, ‘Laxman Das’s circus elephant. Meanwhile, local shopkeepers also say that not only the drivers, but also the roadside shops are being extorted by elephants. They demand that these illegal extortions should be stopped from the highways by increasing the administration’s activities.