Police in Madhabpur upazila of Habiganj have intercepted a truck carrying 3,090 kilogrammes of contraband Indian cumin and arrested three individuals suspected of involvement in smuggling operations. The interception took place on the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway following a targeted police operation on Thursday, 7 November. Law enforcement officers mounted a raid after receiving confidential intelligence regarding the movement of smuggled goods along the highway.
A special team from the Teliapara Police Outpost established a checkpoint in front of the 330 MW Power Plant in the Shahjibazar area of Madhabpur. Officers signalled the suspicious cargo vehicle to halt as it approached the checkpoint. Upon stopping, four occupants attempted to flee the scene on foot to evade capture. Police officers pursued the suspects immediately, apprehending three on the spot while one individual managed to escape into the surrounding area.
A thorough search of the detained vehicle led to the discovery and seizure of 3,090 kilogrammes of illegally imported Indian cumin stored in sacks. The arrested individuals have been identified as Mujahid (24) and Jobayer (18), both hailing from Jashore district, alongside Maruf Ahmad (19) from Sylhet district. Law enforcement authorities have also named an absconding suspect, 45-year-old Subho Das, in connection with the smuggling operation.
Providing details on the legal proceedings, Inspector Sukhendra Sarkar, In-Charge of the Teliapara Police Outpost, stated that the suspects had unlawfully collected the Indian cumin from border areas without paying statutory duties. The contraband consignment was being transported to Dhaka for commercial sale in wholesale markets across the capital. Police have registered a case under Sections 25-B and 25-D of the Special Powers Act, 1974.
The three arrested suspects were produced before a Habiganj court on Sunday afternoon, 8 November, where magistrates remanded them in custody. Inspector Sarkar confirmed that police drives are currently under way to locate and arrest the absconding suspect, Subho Das, and to determine whether a wider smuggling ring operates along the border route.
