Law enforcement officers from the Special Response Battalion (SRB) have arrested two suspected drug dealers following a search of a passenger bus in Pubail, Gazipur. The operation was carried out late on Saturday night, 7 November, after SRB personnel established a strategic security checkpoint in front of Khokon Filling Station in the Khilgaon area under Pubail Police Station. The raid yielded 10 kilogrammes of cannabis along with two mobile phones used by the suspects.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Ariful Islam (28) and Md Sojib (28), both originating from the East Kalabanda Beparipara area under Islampur Police Station in Jamalpur district. Law enforcement officials confirmed that the duo had been residing in rented accommodation in the Mouchak Uttarpara locality under Kaliakair Police Station in Gazipur, from where they conducted illicit drug trafficking activities.
According to the Special Response Battalion, the interdiction was launched on the basis of confidential intelligence regarding an incoming drug consignment. Acting on the tip-off, an SRB operational team intercepted a passenger bus belonging to ‘Bandhan Paribahan’ as it approached the Khilgaon checkpoint. During a systematic search of the bus interior, officers grew suspicious of two passengers seated near the vehicle’s engine box due to their erratic and nervous behaviour. Officers detained both men on the spot for preliminary questioning.
Under interrogation, the suspects admitted to concealing illegal narcotics inside the vehicle’s luggage compartment. Based on their directions, officers inspected the cargo bay and retrieved two white plastic sacks. A detailed inspection of the sacks revealed 10 kilogrammes of cannabis, carefully wrapped using specialised packaging techniques to evade detection. SRB officials estimated the illicit market value of the confiscated narcotics at approximately BDT 3 lakh. Two button-style mobile phones used to facilitate communication were also confiscated from their possession.
Following the seizure, law enforcement personnel prepared a formal inventory of the confiscated cannabis and mobile phones. The SRB subsequently handed over both suspects, along with the seized evidence, to Pubail Police Station for further legal proceedings. Police have initiated formal charges under the Narcotics Control Act to determine whether the suspects are linked to a broader regional drug trafficking network.
