3 held with relief rice in Natore

Local administration arrested three people, including an Awami League leader, for misappropriating 13 sacks of rice of the government's food-friendly programme in Natore's Singra upazila.

The incident came just three days after the seizure of 5.5 tonnes of relief rice from the house of an Awami League (AL) leader in Naogaon's Raninagar upazila.

The arrestees are Shahin Shah, a local Al leader and member of Sukash union parishad, rice trader Golam Hossain, and rice dealer Md Lebu, said Nasrin Banu, upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) of Singra.

Locals detained Shahin and Golam in Boalia Bazar area when they were returning with eight sacks of rice, each weighing 30kg, yesterday afternoon and informed the upazila administration.

A team, led by Executive Magistrate Nazmul Alam, raided the spot and arrested the two. Lebu was arrested later from the same area based on the information given by the two.

This rice is allocated for the poor and extreme poor people and sold at Tk 10 per kg as part of the government's social protection programmes.

During primary interrogation, Golam confessed that he used to sell the rice of food-friendly programme to Shahin every month.

Later, the team conducted a raid at Boalia club and recovered five more sacks of rice.

UNO Nasrin said they were preparing to file a case against the perpetrators.