Importer of 'rotten' wheat yet to be nabbed

Syedpur police says he is absconding. Several raids were made on his house and business firm but he could not be arrested, they said.

Syedpur police on September 12 seized a huge quantity of "rotten" wheat from Syedpur railway goods yard, imported by Hazi Mustaq Ahmed, owner of Sonia Enterprise. The seized wheat was part of a consignment of 2020 tonnes. Part of it was unloaded by the importer before the seizure. The importer has a flour mill at Syedpur BSCIC estate.

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As the import of rotten wheat triggered protests by different organisations, the district administration on orders from higher authorities had formed a five-member probe committee headed by the Additional District Magistrate of Nilphamari. The probe body found 54 per cent of the imported wheat "uneatable". This followed filing of a case against Hazi Mustaq on September 19 under the Special Powers Act.

Meanwhile, Syedpur units of Gono Forum, Workers Party, Muktijoddha Sangsad and Bangladesh Railway Employees League brought out processions and held rallies in the town demanding his arrest and punishment.

Local political and labour leaders including Abdul Mannan Manna, M A Hossen, Tofazzal Hossen in separate statements also demanded his arrest and punishment.

On the other hand, the Syedpur Islami Bank, through which the wheat was imported, and Haji Mustaq asserted that he has all papers to show that the Indian exporter was responsible for the scam.

L C (letter of credit) for the import was opened with local Islami Bank on September 7 and the wheat reached Syedpur on September 11.

Now, a question is being raised by different quarters how the big consignment reached here from Moga in Punjub, crossing several thousand miles within only four days of opening of the LC.

Some importers seeking anonymity told this correspondent that such a consignment should take at least one month to reach here after opening of LC. They also questioned the harried customs clearance.

In the LC, the price was quoted at 100 dollars per metric ton (Tk 6 per kg) while the market price of wheat in India was 165 to 170 dollars per metric ton, they claimed. They expressed surprise how Hazi Mustaq could buy wheat at such a cheap rate. The wheat might have been purchased on auction because it was of inferior quality, they claimed.