Heroin recovered from bus, clothes from truck

20 December 2009, 17:00 PM

Star National Desk

Heroin worth Tk 1.30 crore was recovered from a passenger bus and smuggled clothes worth Tk 1.50 crore was seized from a truck yesterday. BDR jawans raided a chair coach of Saudi Paribahan in Patabari area under Rajapalong union of Ukhia upazila on Cox's Bazar-Teknaf highway at 11:30 am yesterday and recovered 1.3 kg heroin worth about Tk 1.30 crore. They also arrested two persons on charges of carrying the heroin. The coach was going to Teknaf from Dhaka, reports our correspondent. BDR sources said, a team led by Teknaf 42 Rifles Battalion commander Lt Col M Mozammel Hossain raided the bus left abandoned by the side of the road at Patabari. They found the heroin wrapped in polythene from under a seat. Bus driver Abdul Mabud, 50, of Adunagar in Satkania upazila in Chittagong and helper Pulin Paul, 40, of Paul Para were arrested during the raid. The BDR commander said the consignment of heroin was being smuggled to Teknaf by bus from Dhaka. Acting on a tip-off, they went to Ukhia and raided the bus. Passengers left the bus as it became out of order on the way. The arrestees have been handed over to police, he said. A Correspondent in Madaripur reports: Police seized smuggled Indian clothes worth about Tk 1.5 crore from a Dhaka-bound truck at Kawrakandi ghat at Shibchar yesterday morning. The smuggled Indian clothes were being taken to Dhaka under the stacks of oil and salt. The highway police also arrested the two members of the gang. Police said, while paying toll at Haji Shariatullah Bridge the driver told them that the truck was carrying 'chanachur' and oil. On suspicion, police signalled the truck to halt but it tried to flee. They then chased the truck and caught it in Khanbari area adjacent to Kawrakandi ghat. Police later found 74 bundles of loin clothes, sarees and shawls in the truck. Cloth traders put the value of the seized clothes at about Tk 1.5 crore. Police arrested driver Md Molaim Hossain alias Shaheen, 35, and helper Md Kaiser Hossain, 30.