Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) conducted a drive Tuesday night and detained three people with contraband yaba pills in Charghat upazila of Rajshahi.
The detainees have been identified as Syed Alam, 39, of Teknaf upazila, Chan Banu, 42, and Shampa Khatun, 20, of Charghat upazila. Meanwhile, their two other accomplices Siddiqur Rahman, 44, of Charghat upazila and Abdul Majid, 23, of Teknaf upazila managed to flee the scene.
After interrogating the detainees, RAB believes the two suspected yaba smugglers from Teknaf might have smuggled the contraband drugs from Cox’s Bazar to Rajshahi via an airplane.
Acting on a tip-off, a team of RAB 5 conducted a drive at Siddiqur’s house and recovered 9,315 yaba pills taped under his dresser, according to a RAB 5 press release.
The team also seized Tk23,000 in cash, four mobile phone sets, five sim cards, and three NIDs from the detainees’ possession.
RAB 5 Company Commander ATM Mainul Islam said: “After interrogating the detainees we have learned the two men from Teknaf pull rickshaws for their living there and that they came to Rajshahi on a flight.
“We now believe that they might have managed to smuggle the contraband drugs onto the airplane. We will know for sure after further investigation,” he added.
The drug smuggling syndicate has been bringing yaba to Rajshahi and taking phensedyl from the border areas back to Teknaf for a while now, he added.
The detainees have been shown arrested in a case filed under the Narcotics Control Act against the trio with the Charghat Model police station.
