1200 Litres Petrol Seized, Three Arrested

A total of 1,200 litres of petrol stored illegally inside a walled residential property have been seized by the Detective Branch (DB) of police in Noakhali, leading to the arrest of three individuals.

The operation was carried out on Wednesday evening in the Lakshminarayanpur area of Maijdee, the district headquarters of Noakhali. According to police accounts, the house in question was enclosed by boundary walls, making its interior contents concealed from outside view. The petrol had allegedly been stored inside the premises with the intention of selling it at inflated prices.

Following a tip-off regarding the unlawful storage of fuel, a team from the Detective Branch conducted a raid at the location. During the search, officers recovered multiple drums containing petrol from within the house. Police also seized a pickup vehicle that was reportedly being used for transporting the fuel.

Three individuals were arrested in connection with the incident. They are identified as: Md Mofizur Rahman (19), son of Md Shahjahan of Chaparashi Bari in the same area; Mahmudul Hasan (26), son of Jalal Uddin of Manik Huzur Bari; and Md Manjur Alam (53), son of the late Fazlul Haque of Pundit Bari in Madhusudanpur area under Ward No. 1 of Noakhali Municipality.

Police stated that preliminary information indicated the group had been stockpiling petrol illegally for some time, taking advantage of fuel shortages to sell it at higher prices. The seized fuel and the vehicle were taken into police custody as part of the investigation process.

A case was filed at Sudharam Model Police Station under the Special Powers Act in connection with the incident. Following their arrest, the three accused were produced before the court on Thursday.

Details of those arrested

Authorities confirmed that the investigation is ongoing to determine the extent of the operation and whether additional individuals were involved in the illegal fuel storage network.