Jubo Dal man, BCC commissioner behind cargo vessel looting?

But sources claimed that it was an eyewash as police do not hope to recover the food grains because ruling party men were allegedly behind the looting.

A truckload of wheat has been seized from a private godown in the city on suspicion that it could be part of the looted food grains. But none has been arrested.

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The vessel carried 350 tonnes of food grains and out of this 190 tonnes were looted.

As the vessel drifted near the BIWTA salvage vessel Hamza on the Kirtankhiola on Friday, its employees found seven crew tied and locked in the engine room.

The rescued crew said pirates threw three of their colleagues into the river, tied and locked them and looted the food grains. The missing crew are Abdul Khalek, Abdul Kader and Md Kabir.

On behalf of the food-carrying contractor, Md Shahjalal lodged a case against the three, alleging that they and their 'unidentified associates' were involved in the looting.

He claimed that the looted food grains were sold to some food traders in the city.

Police believes that the looting was pre-planned.

The sources said police have lost interest to recover the looted food grains after they came to know that a crime syndicate led by a Jubo Dal leader and a Barisal City Corporation ward commissioner was behind it.