29,000 yaba pills seized in Chittagong

Rab seized 29,000 yaba pills from a small truck heading for Dhaka in Mirsarai upazila yesterday and filed a case against a police officer, the driver and helper of the truck in this connection.

The elite force arrested the driver and helper while Khulshi police detained the cop at Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) police lines.

Acting on a tip-off, Rab-7 personnel set up a check point in Redoyan filling station area of Chittagong's Mirsarai and started searching vehicles, said Mimtahinur Rahman, senior assistant superintendent of police of Rab-7.

“We signalled the truck to pull over. As the vehicle stopped, the driver and his helper tried to flee prompting us to give chase. Later, according to their information, we recovered the pills inside a zip bag hidden in a steel file cabinet,” he said.

They arrested truck driver Muktar Hossen, 24, and helper Md Sobuj, 19.

According to the first investigation report of the case filed with Mirsarai Police Station, accused Sub-Inspector Bodruddoja Mahmud was transferred to CMP police lines from Dhaka district Detective Branch (north) about a month ago.

Driver Muktar during primary interrogation said on 29 August he headed for Chittagong with the belongings of SI Bodruddoja from his home in Dhaka Uddyan in Mohammadpur.

“When we reached Chittagong, Bodruddoja asked us to go back to Dhaka with some of the furniture and that it was an emergency,” Muktar was quoted in the FIR.

Shakila Sultana, additional deputy commissioner (public order management) of the CMP told The Daily Star that Khulshi police took SI Bodruddoja into custody following allegation that yaba pills were found in his furniture.

“As it requires further investigation, we are looking into the matter seriously. If the Mirsarai Police Station asks for the accused we will hand him over at the court,” she added.