48kg cannabis found in van’s secret compartment

Tipped-off that drug was being smuggled into the capital inside a covered-van without a number plate, detectives beefed-up vigilance at various entry points yesterday.

At Kadamtali, they intercepted one such van and conducted a search. However, they could not find anything.

But something did not feel right.

"Searching the driver's chamber, we found a switch in the dash board that looked different and out of place," said Mujib Ahmed Patwari, an assistant commissioner of the Detective Branch of police (Tejgaon division).

When they pushed the button, a small door opened in the back of the van, where detectives found 48 kilogrammes of cannabis in 24 bags, kept in a hidden compartment.

The compartment was eight feet in height and nine inches in width, where one can carry a number of bags.

Detectives also arrested the driver -- Sumon Mia -- and his assistant -- Rubel Sarker.

The DB official said the van was coming to Dhaka from Brahmanbaria with no other goods inside.

The seized drugs are worth Tk four crore, said AKM Hafiz Akter, DMP additional commissioner for DB.

"Usually, drugs are smuggled inside tyres or other parts of a vehicle. This is the first time we saw a separate chamber which is controlled by a switch," he added.

The arrestees said they were promised Tk 25,000 each for bringing the drugs to Dhaka and they were supposed to go to Basila to drop those off.

The two were placed on one-day remand each in DB custody. Police are trying to arrest the covered-van owner.