Police have arrested three people, including a local Labour Party leader, with yaba during an anti-drug operation in Kalindi Union of Keraniganj, on the outskirts of Dhaka.
The arrested man has been identified as Alamin Dhali, 34, who is locally known as the vice-president of the Kalindi Union unit of the Labour Party. Dhaka District South Detective Police said two other people were also detained during the operation.
The arrests were made on 21 August from an under-construction building in the Bhongna area under Keraniganj Model Police Station. According to police, the operation was conducted as part of an anti-drug drive, during which yaba tablets were recovered from the suspects.
Dhaka District South Detective Police confirmed the arrests. Rezaul Karim, officer-in-charge of the detective police unit, said a case had been filed against the three detainees under the Narcotics Control Act at Keraniganj Model Police Station.
Alamin’s political identity has also drawn attention following his arrest. Police sources and local accounts describe him as the vice-president of the Kalindi Union Labour Party. However, some local leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party have questioned whether he officially holds the party position or is a member of the organisation.
Haji Ataur Rahman Hira, member-secretary of the Kalindi Union BNP, said they were looking into whether Alamin was a BNP member and whether he held any formal position within the party. He said there was no place in the organisation for anyone involved in the drug trade.
Mohammad Mehbub, convener of the Kalindi Union BNP, also said the party would maintain a firm position against drugs. He said there would be no compromise over drug-related activities and that action would be taken against those found involved.
Local residents have also made a number of allegations against Alamin. They claim he had previously been involved in various activities in the area, including alleged land grabbing, extortion, exerting influence over businesses through intimidation and forcibly filling land with sand. These allegations, however, could not be independently verified at the time of reporting.
Local sources also said several members of Alamin’s family have been involved in local politics. According to them, his father, Milan Dhali, served as president of Ward No. 3 of the Kalindi Union unit of the Awami League. His brother, Asad, is said to be the general secretary of the Kalindi Union unit of the Tanti League, while his uncle, Liton Dhali, reportedly serves as joint convener of the union unit of the BNP’s Labour Party.
The political affiliations of Alamin’s relatives, however, do not by themselves establish any connection between them and the allegations against him. No such link was mentioned by the police in connection with the yaba case.
The latest arrests come amid ongoing efforts by law-enforcement agencies to curb the distribution and sale of illegal drugs in areas surrounding Dhaka. Yaba, a tablet containing methamphetamine, remains one of the drugs frequently targeted in anti-narcotics operations in Bangladesh.
The three detainees now face legal proceedings under the Narcotics Control Act. Police have not provided further details in the report about the quantity of yaba recovered or the identities of the two other people arrested in the operation.
