A Chittagong court yesterday again put six people on remand, who were arrested in the case filed over the seizure of liquid cocaine at Chittagong port in June.
Metropolitan Magistrate Rahmat Ali gave the order after Md Kamruzzaman, Chittagong Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch assistant commissioner (north) and the investigating officer of the case, pleaded with the court to remand each of the arrestees for 10 days.
Chittagong Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Md Fakhruddin said the court remanded the six persons for different periods.
Golam Mostafa Sohel, manager of Prime Hatchery which is a sister concern of the alleged importer of the cocaine consignment Khan Jahan Ali Limied, was put on a five-day remand. He was earlier questioned during a 10-day remand.
The consignment’s C&F Agent Saiful Islam Sumon and Sohel’s cousin Mehedi Alam, who works at a securities firm, were placed on a five-day remand each. They were earlier remanded for five days each.
Besides, Cosco Shipping Agency Manager AKM Azad, Mondol Group Commercial Executive Atiqur Rahman and real estate company official Mostafa Kamal were placed on a two-day remand each. Earlier, they were quizzed during a 13-day remand each.
A total of six people have so far been arrested in the sensational case but alleged importer of the consignment Nur Mohammad, who is the chairman of Khan Jahan Ali Limited, is still on the run.
On June 6, the Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation, upon police information, sealed the container at Chittagong port. The container was suspected to have brought 2,140kg liquid cocaine. It was boarded on ship from Uruguay after being imported from Bolivia and arrived at Chittagong port on May 13 via Singapore.
On June 27, the existence of cocaine was found in a drum in a laboratory test in Dhaka. There were 107 drums in the container.
Police on June 28 lodged a drugs case with Bandar police station and the Detective Branch is investigating it.
On July 8, the investigating officer collected samples from the drums again in compliance with a court order and sent those to the Armed Forces Food and Drugs Laboratory, Narcotics Control Department’s lab and Criminal Investigation Department’s lab for further tests. The existence of cocaine was found in the tests.
The investigating officer was asked by court to speed up probe while a 10-member body of Chittagong Metropolitan Police led by Detective Branch Chief Kusum Dewan is also investigating the case. Bakul Miah, a British citizen of Bangladeshi origin, was found to be involved in smuggling the consignment from Uruguay.