A calmer Simrail truck stand
The dominance of Nur Hossain's gang in Narayanganj was waning since his arrest in 2015 and the “drug empire” he had built got a significant blow when the seven-murder case verdict was delivered on Monday.
Nur's Simrail Truck Stand office in Siddhirganj, from where he ran everything, has become almost defunct, said locals.
The remnants of his gang still try to exhort influence but the city dwellers have found hope in the verdict and are now standing their ground.
In this very spot, an “obscene and degrading” dance show was held every night, locals told The Daily Star correspondents when they visited the truck stand yesterday.
People gambled here and drug peddling -- Phensidyle and Yaba -- was going on in broad daylight, they said, adding that things have become significantly quieter.
“We installed eight security cameras in the truck stand area and teams patrol the area all the time,” said Sharafat Ullah, officer-in-charge of Siddhirganj Police Station.
He said four kilograms of marijuana and 52 Yaba tablets were seized yesterday from three young men in Gudnail area, a neighbourhood in which Nur used to live.
Faruk Hossain, additional superintendent of police in Narayanganj, said truckers used to pay as much as Tk 250 to park in the Simrail Truck Stand. But now they are paying only Tk 30, which seems reasonable.
“What's most significant is that we now have the courage to stand up to the extortionists and criminals. People have just gained trust on the rule of law and we are feeling more confident than ever,” said Abdus Salam, brother of slain panel mayor Nazrul Islam.
The law enforcers and the administration can now completely wipe out drug peddling and extortion from Narayanganj, he added.
A resident of Nimai Kashari area in Siddhirganj said, “People of different professions, from auto-rickshaw drivers to shop owners to businessmen, had to frequently pay the extortionists. But now we would not let anyone skim off money just like that.”
Tofayel, a garment wastage trader, said a group of men belonging to a gang led by one of Nur Hossain's nephews attempted to take over his business in Sanarpar area yesterday afternoon.
“But we protested and they had to retreat. It would have been different a week ago,” he said.
Nur's men, led by his relatives, still hold considerable clout in the city's transport stands, said locals and political leaders requesting anonymity.
Awami League leaders of Simrail area said Nur's nephews conduct drug peddling and commit other crimes in the area. His family members were arrested on multiple occasions, they said.
On April 27, 2014, the then panel mayor of Narayanganj Nazrul Islam and his three aides and driver were kidnapped. Senior lawyer Chandan Sarker and his driver Ibrahim were also picked up around the same time, as they had witnessed the abduction of Nazrul and his men.
Later, all the seven bodies were found floating in the Shitalakkhya.
A total of 26 accused, including Nur, were sentenced to death on Monday.
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