In a major breakthrough following the disappearance of a covered van laden with 300 sacks of sugar worth BDT 16 lakh from Patiya in Chattogram, police have recovered another 7.5-ton consignment of stolen sugar from Chakaria upazila.
During an early morning raid on Friday (October 23), police recovered the sugar from a closed tailoring shop belonging to Russel, Joint Convener of the Harbang Union Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, located in the Nonachhari area of Harbang union under Chakaria upazila.
Led by Sub-Inspector (SI) Mahbubur Rahman of Patiya Police Station, law enforcement officials have so far managed to recover 284 out of the 300 stolen sacks (14.2 tons) of sugar through a series of operations.
According to police and local sources, the covered van driver, Md. Alamgir, staged a fake hijacking drama to misappropriate the entire 15 tons of sugar. Subsequently, the stolen sugar was sold below market value to an dishonest business syndicate operating in Chakaria and Aziznagar areas.
Key figures in this illicit syndicate include Md. Rahat Uddin Jewel, owner of 'Rajib Store' in Aziznagar Bazar, and his brother Russel, owner of the closed tailoring shop in Nonachhari, Chakaria. Russel serves as the Joint Convener of Harbang Union Chhatra Dal.
Police initially recovered 134 sacks of sugar from Jewel's warehouse in Aziznagar Bazar, Bandarban. Acting on a secret tip-off, police later conducted a drive at his brother Russel's closed shop in Nonachhari, Chakaria, seizing an additional 150 sacks of sugar.
Babul Ahmad, a local Union Parishad member from Ward No. 2 of Harbang union, stated that upon hearing about the police raid, both Jewel and Russel locked up their homes and fled the area along with their families.
Following the exposure of the staged disappearance, the owner of the stolen sugar, Md. Sirajul Islam, filed a formal complaint at Patiya Police Station. Covered van driver Alamgir and grocery store owner Rahat Uddin Jewel were named as key accused in the case. The plaintiff alleged in the case that driver Alamgir breached trust and colluded with co-conspirators to embezzle BDT 16 lakh worth of sugar.
Investigating Officer SI Mahbubur Rahman of Patiya Police Station confirmed that driver Alamgir was shown arrested and produced before the court on Friday morning. He added that the entire incident is being investigated with utmost priority and operations are ongoing to recover the remaining sugar and arrest other members of the syndicate.
Earlier on Wednesday afternoon around 5:30 PM, police recovered the empty covered van left abandoned in front of the newly constructed Karnafuli Upazila Building on the Chattogram-Anwara road near the Sikalbaha crossing along the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highway.
— Daily Best News Desk • Fearless in the search for truth
Reported by Ruhul, Correspondent, Chakaria • Edited by the Daily Best News desk. Send corrections to [email protected].
