Cannabis plants seized from Jubo League leader’s mango orchard
Police on Monday seized 88 cannabis plants after raiding a mango orchard leased by a ruling party leader in Dinajpur’s Birampur upazila.
They also arrested the orchard’s caretaker, Mongla Karim, 40, of Lokagram village in Nawabganj upazila of Dinajpur.
A team of police, led by Inspector (Investigation) Sohel Rana of the police station, conducted the raid at the mango orchard in Mirpur village on Monday afternoon.
The confiscated plants, market price of which was estimated at Tk 20 lakh, were aged between 15 days to one year, said police.
All the plants were transported to the police station the same day and were destroyed yesterday.
Moniruzzaman, officer-in-charge of the police station, said one Afaz Uddin is the original owner of the mango orchard. Afaz leased out the orchard for 10 years to an unidentified individual from Rajshahi.
Around a couple of years ago, Birampur upazila Jubo League Vice President Anwar Hossain obtained a sublease of the orchard from the lessee, he added.
Locals alleged that Anwar has been growing cannabis in the orchard for the last one year.
Anwar’s son Abdur Razzak is the president of Bangladesh Chhatra League’s Birampur upazila unit, they also said.
Police filed a case with Birampur Police Station, accusing four persons including Anwar Hossain, Afaz Uddin and arrestee Mongla Karim.
This correspondent was unable to reach Anwar Hossain for his comments as his cell phone was found to be turned off.
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