A person was arrested yesterday in Karnaphuli area of Chittagong when the he was attempting to transport 1,000 litres of locally-made liquor to Bandarban District on a sports utility vehicle (SUV).
Department of Narcotic Control (DNC) said many illegal substance smugglers are now using luxurious vehicles to carry contraband items to evade law enforcers.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Karnaphuli Police Station Mohiuddin Ahmed said a police team, led by Sub Inspector Mostak Ahmed, conducted a drive at Moijjartek area at 4:00am following up on a tip-off and chased the SUV.
The OC said “Sensing the presence of police, the driver accelerated the vehicle to a point where it spiraled out of control and hit a roadside tree. After the crash, the driver and Md Nazrul managed to flee the scene but police managed to capture Imran Khan Babu, 24.
Police found 20 plastic jars, each containing 50 litres of liquor from the vehicle which is worth Tk 6 lakh, said the OC.
During the initial interrogation, Imran admitted his crime.
A case was lodged with Karnaphuli Police Station in this connection.
In a different incident on August 9, Kotwali police arrested Abul Hossain, 21, and Nasir Uddin, 21, with 5,600 pieces of Yaba tablets worth Tk 11.20 lakh from Chittagong city’s Kotwali area who were also using a Toyota Prado SUV.
DNC Superintendent of Chittagong Metro Region Chowdhury Imrul Hasan said luxurious vehicles are usually used by high officials, ministers and parliamentarians which are not suspected by the police hence the usage of SUVs by the smugglers.
DNC and other law enforcing agencies have seized Pajero, Prado, Hiace, Land cruiser and many other types of luxurious vehicles that were being used for smuggling drugs.
CMP Acting Commissioner Banaz Kumar Majumder said they have tightened their vigilance on luxury vehicles.
They have also increased their watch on the entrance points of the city especially Shah Amanat Bridge area where vehicles enter the city from Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban districts.
