A policeman was closed and another 10 transferred on charges of involvement in yaba trade.
They all were working in Cox’s Bazar police department.
Officer-in-Charge of Cox’s Bazar district DB police Dewan Abul Hossain was closed and transferred to Chittagong range.
Sub-Inspector of Cox’s Bazar police station Belal Hossain, who was chargesheeted in a yaba trade case, was transferred to Feni.
Besides, Sub-Inspector Md Amir was transferred to Noakhali, Sub-Inspector Ekramul Haque to Khagrachhari, Sub-Inspector Monirul Islam to Rangamati, Kutubdia police station Sub-Inspector ABM Kamal to Rangamati, Cox’s Bazar Sadar Model police station Kamal Hossain to Chandpur, Sub-Inspector Mansurul Haque to Lakshmipur, Md Firoz Alam to Rangamati, Sub-Inspector of Teknaf police station Selim and Ukhia police station Sub-Inspector Selim to Lakshmipur.
Those who were transferred are supposed to join their new workplace today.
The policemen were transferred as part of a move by the police authorities to bring officers engaged in crimes such as yaba trade to book, said Md Shahriar Alam, senior assistant police super of Feni. He is also a member of the committee formed to probe the June 22 seizure of 0.68 million yaba pills from the possession of Sub-Inspector Mahfuz and his driver Jabed.
Civil society members in Feni, meanwhile, expressed discontentment with the delay in arresting police officials involved in a range of crimes in spite of the inspector general of police’s announcement of stern action against such officers.
Questioning the role of police, President of Shujan’s Feni office Mahbub Altamas said people would now see the action taken by the police department against dishonest officers.
Advocate Mahfuzul Haque echoed Mahbub, saying that the yaba trade racket’s area of operation was very extensive.
“RAB has caught policemen red-handed with yaba pills and it was a warning message. Now we want to see what the police do after receiving this message,” he added.
Officer-in-Charge (investigation) of Feni Model police station Shahinuzzaman said the case filed in connection with yaba trade was being investigated.
“Police officials charged with the crime are under watch,” he said.
After his arrest on June 22 with yaba tablets, SI Mahfuz, while making a confessional statement in court on Wednesday, mentioned 14-15 people who he said were involved in the yaba trade.
Among the people who were named by the police official are SI Belal Hossain and SI Ashiqur Rahman of Chittagong Kumira Highway police station.
RAB also found the names of a 20-member yaba trade racket in three notebooks seized from SI Mahfuz.
The racket actively operates in Feni, Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong and Dhaka, and 14 of the members had invested an astronomical amount of money in yaba trade in the last three months.
The committee formed on Wednesday to probe the case was asked to submit a report within 10 working days.