Shipping agent's computers seized

Police yesterday seized two computers of a shipping agent in connection with last month's liquid cocaine haul case.

Cosco (Bangladesh) Shipping Lines Ltd was the local agent of Cyprus-flagged Thorstream which arrived at the Chittagong port on May 8 bringing a container which had 107 barrels with labels claiming their contents were sunflower oil.

Contents of one of the barrels tested positive for liquid cocaine.

The seizure was made at the shipping agent's Agrabad office in Chittagong city, said the case's investigation officer, Md Kamruzzaman.

The shipping agent's manager, AK Azad, one of four people now under arrest, was contacted through emails and over the phone several times by another arrestee, Atiqur Rahman, who wanted the consignment to be re-exported to the port of  origin or forwarded to any Indian port, said police.

Atiqur had been asked to do so by his uncle and another arrestee, Mostafa Kamal, whose cousin, Bakul Mia, a Bangladesh-born British citizen, first brought up the request for the consignment to be sent to a third country.

The fourth arrestee is Golam Mostafa Sohel, finance manager of a sister concern of Khan Jahan Ali Ltd, the shipment's consignee.