21 Yaba, hundi traders surrender to police

It was the second such surrender programme that was organised by district police at Teknaf Government College playground.

On February 16 last year, 102 yaba traders formally surrendered to law enforcers at a programme at Teknaf Pilot High School in the presence of Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and top police officials.

Those, who surrendered yesterday, are -- Abdur Noor, Abdur Razzak, Bashir Ahmed, Abdul Amin Abu, Abul Kalam, Fazal Karim, Md Rashel, Md Idris, Md Hossain, Mohammad Ismail, Imam Hossain, Shahadat Hossain, Mohammad Saddam, Abdul Gafur, Md Taiyab, Md Zahed, Farid Alam, Imam Hossain, Mizanur Rahman, Noor Mohammad and Md Redwan.

After their surrender, two separate cases -- one for possessing illegal firearms and the other for possessing drug -- were filed against all 21, said ABM Masud Hossain, superintendent of police (SP) of Cox’s Bazar.

They were shown arrested in these cases and were later produced before a court, which sent them to jail yesterday evening, the SP told reporters.

Police sources said the 21 people had been communicating with law enforcers for the last couple of months saying they want to surrender.

They surrendered to police separately in phases over the last couple of months. They were the kept at police’s “Safe Home” at Kolatoli by-pass area on the outskirts of the district town.

Yesterday morning, they were taken to Teknaf, around 87-kilometer away from the safe home, amid tight security.

There, they were initially kept at the science laboratory, adjacent to the surrender venue. Around 4:30pm, they were taken to the venue under police protection. 

Senior police officials, who were on the stage, received them with flowers.

Khandker Golam Faruq, deputy inspector general (DIG) of Chattogram range, was present as the chief guest. The programme was chaired by SP Masud.

Several district police officials, members of the local administration, as well as political and religious leaders were also present at the programme.

Of the 21, Mohammad Ismail sustained bullet injuries to his leg in a gunfight with police around one year ago, after which one of his legs was amputated by doctors. He surrendered to police a few months later2 and was kept in the “safe house” for the last seven months, said police sources.

According to police, there are around 1,250 enlisted yaba traders in Cox’s Bazar. Of them, 912 are in Teknaf.

Some 209 drug traders were killed in “gunfights” with law enforcers in the district since an anti-narcotics crackdown began on May 4, 2018, till December 2019. Of them, 56 were Rohingyas.

Last year, some 27.35 lakhs yaba pills were recovered and 98 traders were arrested in December alone. Of the arrestees, 45 were Rohingyas.

Speaking to journalists, Teknaf police station’s officer-in-charge Prodip Kumar Das said police would continue the anti-narcotic crackdown.