Prosecution yesterday (Wednesday) expressed its discontent over the charge sheet of a cocaine haul case on smuggling charges submitted by the police.
The court of Chittagong Metropolitan Session Judge Md Shahe Nur accepted the discontent of the prosecution and fixed August 23 for the next hearing of the case.
Public Prosecutor (PP) Fakhruddin Chowdhhury said: “As the investigators dropped the name of Nur Mohammed, chairman of Khan Jahan Ali, the company which allegedly imported the liquid cocaine from the abroad, we (prosecution) expressed discontent before the court.”
Earlier, Investigation Officer (IO) and Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) (North) Mohammed Kamruzzaman of the Detective Branch (DB) submitted the charge sheet of cocaine haul case under smuggling charges on May 14, 2017.
Implicating eight people, the IO submitted the charge sheet but dropped the name of Nur Mohammed saying that his involvement with the cocaine haul could not be found.
In the same case, accusing eight people and excluding Nur Mohammed, the IO had submitted the charge sheet before a court under Narcotics Control Acts on November 19, 2015. Later as per the court's direction, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) launched further investigation and pressed charges against ten including Nur Mohammed.
The other accused are Cosco Shipping Agency Manager AKM Azad, Mondol Group’s Commercial Executive Atikur Rahman, real estate company official Mostafa Kamal, Prime Hatchery Limited Manager Golam Mostafa Shohel, security company official Mehedi Alam and C&F company official Saiful Islam, Nur Mohammed’s brother Mostak Ahmed Khan and two Bangladeshi-born UK citizens Fazlur Rahman and Md Bokul Mia.
Of them Mostak, Fazlur and Bokul are on the run while Nur Mohammed is out on bail.
Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID), on tipped off, sealed the container carrying 2,140kg of suspected liquid cocaine in 107 drums at Chittagong Port on June 6 in 2015.
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CIID officials said that after being imported from Bolivia, the container was boarded on ship from Montevideo, Uruguay and arrived at Chittagong on May 13, 2015 via Singapore.
“The container with the attached number CDHU-9145769/193844 and address of Nabi Market, 232, Khatungonj, Chittagong, was imported by Khan Jahan Ali Limited,” said CIIDs officials.
On June 8, 2015, a joint team from concerned authorities conducted physical examination of the container at the Chittagong port and found no proof of cocaine. Later, the authorities decided to conduct a laboratory test for further assurance.
On June 27, 2015, a lab test in Dhaka found the cocaine in a drum.
On the following day, Bandar Police Station’s Sub-Inspector Osman Gani lodged the case with the police station and the CMP’s DB started to investigate the case while a Chittagong court on July 14, 2015 ordered investigators to attach the section of smuggling with the case.
On July 8, the IO again collected the samples from the oil drums according to the court's order and sent them to Armed Forces Food and Laboratories, Directorate of Narcotic Control’s lab and Criminal Investigation Department (CID)’s lab for further examination while the existence of cocaine was found in further tests.
The IO also mentioned around 370 litres of liquid cocaine were found while chemical tests were conducted in the lab.
Customs Intelligence and Investigation have found the connection of a Bangladesh-origin UK citizen, Bakul, in the smuggling of the illegal drug from Uruguay.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
