An onboard steward serving passengers on the Cox’s Bazar Express has been arrested at Chattogram Railway Station after elite crime-fighting unit RAB-7 seized 4,850 Yaba tablets hidden inside his shoulder bag.
The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Md Mahabur Rahman, hails from Nolchia village in the Melandaha upazila of Jamalpur district. The raid took place at approximately 4:00 pm on Monday, with details officially confirmed by RAB-7 headquarters on Tuesday.
Acting on a specific tip-off that an onboard attendant was smuggling a consignment of illicit narcotics aboard the Dhaka-bound service from Cox’s Bazar, a team from RAB-7 took up positions at platform number 5 of Chattogram Railway Station. When the train pulled in at 4:02 pm, officers observed Rahman stepping down from carriage ‘Ja’. Upon spotting the law enforcement team, the steward attempted to blend into the crowd and flee the platform, prompting officers to intercept and detain him.
A search conducted in the presence of witnesses revealed 4,850 Yaba tablets wrapped in black polythene inside Rahman’s black shoulder bag. Investigators estimate the street value of the confiscated contraband at approximately BDT 1.46 million.
Assistant Director (Media) for RAB-7, Assistant Superintendent of Police ARM Mozaffar Hossain, stated that the suspect has been handed over to Kotwali Police Station alongside the seized narcotics. A formal case under the Narcotics Control Act has been registered against Rahman.
Law enforcement agencies noted that drug traffickers increasingly attempt to exploit railway routes connecting the coastal district of Cox’s Bazar with major urban centres. The recruitment or involvement of service staff onboard long-distance trains highlights an evolving tactic by trafficking rings aiming to bypass highway checkpoints, prompting security personnel to tighten surveillance across key rail hubs.
