Rab preparing list of hoarders, smugglers for crackdown

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) is preparing a list of smugglers, hoarders and syndicates of unscrupulous traders operating in the port city to launch a major crackdown on them, officials said.

"The process is now underway to prepare the list of the identified hoarders and smugglers who create artificial crisis in the markets as well as economy. We are collecting information and proper evidence about them," said Rab Commander Lt Col Kazi Emdadul Huq.

"We will clamp down on them after a green signal from the higher authority in this regard," he added. "We are keeping watch over the identified smugglers and hoarders," he said.

"Already we have prepared a list of 30 identified smugglers operating in Chittagong. Some of them went into hiding to avoid arrest during our raid," he said.

Meanwhile, Rab members arrested one Shafiqur Rahman alias Haji Shafi on charge of his involvement in smuggling from Khulshi posh residential area in September and recovered huge foreign currency, several passports and credit cards from his possession.

He was shown arrested in the sensational 10 truckloads of arms smuggling case.

Haji Shafi was taken to Dhaka for joint interrogation before sending him to jail here.

But he was released from jail on bail.

Rab team raided Khatunganj against the backdrop of price hike of onions and other essentials in middle of October.

Rab also raided the kitchen market at Reazuddin Bazar located in the heart of the city.

Rab forced the shop owners at Khatunganj to sell onion at Tk 15 per kg and asked them not to create any artificial crisis in the market that cause suffering to the public.

The businessmen of Khatunganj and Chaktai enforced a day-long strike by keeping the shutters of their shops down and staged demonstrations protesting the Rab raids.

Market sources said some hoarders went into hiding fearing arrest during the raids and the businessmen demanded government intervention to stop the raids by Rab.

The Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) leaders led by its President Amir Humayun Mahmud Chowdhury held a meeting with the leaders of Khatunganj and Chaktai business community to break the stalemate.

CCCI leaders also held a meeting with Rab requesting them not to launch further raid on the kitchen markets without consulting them.

CCCI leaders also assured the businessmen of Khatunganj and Chaktai of no fresh raid by Rab and urged them to resume their business activities to restore normalcy in the markets.

CCCI president told The Daily Star that by launching Rab raids on the markets price spiral of essentials could not be brought under control. He said price hike occurred following mishandling of the imported goods at different levels before reaching the retailers.

"There is a market mechanism to control the prices of essentials," he added.