Interim government advisor Asif Mahmud has denied allegations linking him to the Gulshan extortion case. He acknowledged knowing Jane Alam Apu in 2022 while serving in the Student Rights Council but said they had not met since August 5, 2024. He claimed Apu’s wife had alleged that he was abducted and forced to give a statement at a political leader’s house, likening the practice to past coercive “guest room” interrogations at Dhaka University. Asif explained that his occasional late-night visits to Gulshan’s Westin Hotel were for dining when his preferred restaurant was closed but could not recall if he had been there on the date mentioned by Apu. “If a helmeted figure in CCTV footage is claimed to be me, how credible is that?” he asked, reiterating that he had no involvement in the incident.