Chittagong Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch yesterday nabbed one more person in connection with the alleged smuggling of liquid cocaine, which was found recently in a container of sunflower oil at Chittagong Port.
With this arrest, five people have so far been detained; however, the alleged importer of the much talked about consignment, Khan Jahan Ali Limited chairman Nur Mohammad, has been on the run, police said.
Acting on a tip-off, a DB team nabbed Mehedi Alam, a securities company official and cousin to another arrestee Golam Mostafa Sohel, from the port city’s Agrabad area at around 4:30pm, said DB Deputy Commissioner Kusum Dewan.
Mehedi is the brother-in-law of a Bangladeshi expatriate, Fazlu Mia, in London, England, whose involvement was also found in this smuggling case, the DB chief added.
He also said Fazlu Mia’s business partner Bakul Mia, also in London, was the key person behind the smuggling, while the DB is trying to nab all who are behind the offence.
The DB’s ADC SM Tanvir Arafat said they would produce Mehedi before the court seeking remand today.
“We found Mehedi’s involvement in the attempt to deliver the consignment from Chittagong Port,” he added.
Meanwhile, the previously arrested COSCO Shipping Agency Manager AKM Azad pleaded for bail before the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Farid Alam, while the court rejected the bail request and sent him to jail, said CMP Additional Deputy Commissioner (Prosecution) Kazi Muttaki Ibn Minan.
On June 6, the Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation, on police information, sealed the container at Chittagong Port, which was suspected of carrying 2,140 kilogrammes of liquid cocaine.
On June 27, the existence of cocaine was found in a drum, inscribed with the number 96 out of a total 107, in the container in a laboratory test at Dhaka.
On June 28, police lodged a drug case with Bandar Police Station in this regard while the CMP’s DB is investigating the case.
The DB and CIID nabbed the alleged importer Khan Jahan Ali Limited’s official Golam Mostafa Sohel, COSCO Shipping Agency Manager AKM Azad, Mondol Group’s Commercial Executive Atiqur Rahaman and real estate company official Mostafa Kamal in this connection.
Among the previous arrestees, three were in the second phase of remand, except COSCO manager Azad.
The CMP’s 10-member probe body and the CIID’s four-member probe body have been investigating the much-talked about cocaine seizure, besides the IO.