Staff Reporter :
As the anti-drug drive by law enforcers across the country continues, names of seven police officers of Mugda Police station alone under Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) surfaced for having link with drug peddlers in the area.
Reports of illegal nexus of policemen with drug traders from other places are also pouring in to suggest drug crimes can’t be held under control unless involvement of policemen can be severely dealt with.
It is an open secret that such trade is flooding the country with local ruling party men actively engaging in stocking and distribution of the drug in their localities as the most profitable business.
Police is giving shelter to the illegal trade and benefiting from bribe when they find chasing local party men is more difficult and risky than joining hands with them.
As per DMP sources police officer of Mugda police station were reportedly backing the drug racket in exchange of regular pay-offs. DMP has withdrawn the police officers from field duty around mid-March and attached them at Rajarbagh Police Lane said Mugda police station’s officer-in-charge Md Enamul Haque.
The police officers withdrawn from Mugda include assistant sub-inspectors Mizanur Rahman, Nurul Amin, Abdul Wadud, Md Selim Hossain, Zainul Abedin, Khaledur Rahman and Md Akhtaruzzaman.
An investigation team has been formed led by the DMP joint commissioner (crime) Sheikh Nazmul Alam and it is probing the incidents, he said. As per reports the seven police officers conducted raids in the Bondhu Bakery in Dakkhin Manda, on March 5 night. They detained local drug peddler Swapan Mia with yaba tablets.
Later they took him to local Green Model Town Balur Mathh and took Tk 12 thousand from him on threats that he would be charged in a case. They also took another Tk 20,000 bribe from Swapan’s wife that night and let Swapan go.
The probe also found Wadud, Nurul Amin and Akhtaruzzaman, three among the seven police officers took Tk 1,000 every week from drug traders Lima Akhtar, her husband Delwar Hossain alias Dela and Salma Akhtar of city’s Maniknagar. They took Tk 500 from a certain Niju every week.
Mugda police inspector (operations) Syed Iftekhar Hossain said, though the drug peddlers get arrested, they were released soon on bail to resume the illegal trade. He added, Swapan was arrested with yaba last December, but got bail within a few days as weak police reports not enough to keep the criminals in detention for long.
A total of 24 cases were filed with the Mugda police station in last April under the narcotics control act and 28 have been arrested in this connection so far.
Another police sub-inspector Morshed Hossain at Belabo in Narsingdi was arrested by CID (Criminal Investigation Department) police on Sunday in connection with his involvement in yaba trade.
On the same allegations, highway police sub-inspector Belal Hossain, Narayanganj sadar police assistant sub-inspector Suhrawardy Hossain and Narayanganj port police constable Asadur Rahman were arrested from Rajbari last week. The Khilgaon police assistant sub-inspector Majnu Hossain was also arrested for possession of yaba on 26 April.
Cases have been filed against them under the narcotics control act with the concerned police stations. All except Suhrawardy and Majnu, admitting their involvement giving confessional statements at the court.
CID police super Molla Nazrul Islam said, it didn’t matter whether or not they are police men, they were arrested because of their involvement in drug business.
Since the countrywide haunt for drug dealers across the country, 19 people have been killed in ‘gunfights’ in six days. Both the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and police claimed the deceased were either drug peddlers or accused in such cases.
Motijheel Police Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Anwar Hossain said, allegations have been raised against the police men. Investigations are in progress and cases will be filed if evidence is found.
Several locals and businessmen from Manda in Mugda said, Musa, Tuila Rubel and Saju control yaba business of the area and they had liaison with the seven accused police officers.
They further said, a Swechchasebok League leader along with several local AL leaders are involved in the business. For security reasons, they declined to disclose their names.
Mugda thana AL president Shamim Al Mamun said over phone, he didn’t know anyone from the party being involved in drug business. He admitted that there was a thriving drug business in Mugda, Maniknagar and Manda. He said, police would know better if anyone in the party was involved. HE said the party would take strict action against them.
A Dakkhin Manda businessman, on condition of anonymity said yaba sells every evening at Manda, Jheelpaar and Nama area. Youths from other areas come here to buy drug.
Police conducted raids in the areas just as an eyewash. The drug peddlers are pre-warned and they leave before police come. He added, police have the list of all local drug peddlers. It depends on their intention whether or not to arrest them. He said, local people are afraid their children may get gradually become addict, they want to get rid of the drug traders. But police involvement has made the task difficult.
