Lutfar was quizzed by Detective Branch police for two days from Thursday. He was produced before court yesterday on expiry of two days' remand. The court sent him to jail hajat.

Lutfar was arrested by DB police on Thursday for his alleged involvement in the medicine scam.

Police sources said, Lutfor's confessions during interrogation indicated that the then acting civil surgeon of Magura who was on charge on May 25 was aware of the scam.

On May 25, at dead of night, police intercepted an ambulance of Shalikha Upazila Health Complex (SUHC) at Harishpur on Magura-Jessore highway and arrested its driver Zafar. The ambulance was carrying medicines worthy about Tk 50,000. The medicines included Cotrim tablets and syrup, Erithromycin syrup and Aspectomycin injections.

Zafar told police that the medicines were being taken for dumping into a river as those were date-expired.

Sub-Inspector of Shalikha police station Sohrab Hossain as plaintiff filed a case on May 26 under section 25(Ga) of Special Power Act.

On the following day, Zafar was produced before Shalikha upazila cognizance court.

In his confession made before the magistrate under Section 164, Zafar said he was carrying the medicines on orders from the storekeeper of Magura civil surgeon's office.

After interrogating Zafar, police had said the date-expired medicines with new labels were being sent to Jessore for supply to medicine shops.

The case was transferred to BD on July 3.

A team of DB police led by Sub-Inspector (SI) Mohsin Ali arrested Lutfar on Thursday (July 13).

Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, investigation officer of the case DB Sub Inspector Mohsin Ali said that during interrogation Lutfar gave more information which indicated that all the medicines in the ambulance were not date-expired.

Shalikha thana police, after investigation, said that the date-expired medicines with new labels were being sent to Jessore at dead of night for supply to shops.

Earlier on June 12, the first IO of the case Sub- Inspector (SI) Shajahan of Shalikha police station said, "Investigation revealed that the date-expired medicines were being taken towards Jessore at dead of night for marketing after labeling those with new dates and claimed that the store keeper and a leader of the pro-BNP doctors' association were the mastermind behind it.

When contacted yesterday, medical officer Dr. Alimuzzaman who was the acting civil surgeon on May 25 said, "I signed papers prepared by the storekeeper. The medicines were being sent to Shalikha upazila health complex. It was not my duty to see whether the medicines were date-expired or not".