Names of several police officials have come up in the police station-wise list of drug dealers prepared by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
According to the list, five police officials of Kadamtali and Shyampur police stations in Dhaka are involved in the drug business. Some of them collect money from the spot of selling drugs, while others directly run the business through sources.
The list of drug dealers was prepared in the months of January and February this year. It was sent to eight crime units of the DMP. According to the sources, apart from arresting the drug dealers, there were directives to submit investigation reports on the police officials involved in drugs business.
There are names of a total of 58 drug dealers in the list of the Wari zone of the DMP. Over 100 cases have been filed against these drug dealers. Three police officials of the Kadamtali police station are involved in drug business.
According to the DMP, sub-inspector (SI) Nur Ali Molla of Kadamtali police station runs the drug business with the help of two sources -- Md Emon and Rocky. Kadamtali police station’s assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Abul Hossain runs drug business through two of his sources -- Shukur and Swapan. Another ASI of that police station named Abul Hossain runs drug business through his sources -- Nahid and Mohammad Ali.
This correspondent tried to contact the accused police officials over phone for their comments on the allegations against them. However, they didn’t respond.
Transfer is not any punishment. The police members involved should be investigated and suspendedformer IGP Nur Mohammad
Speaking about them to Prothom Alo, Kadamtali police station’s officer-in-charge (OC) Proloy Kumar Saha said, “After getting the list, we investigated against the police officials, whose names came up in the list. We also have arrested many of the sources named in the list. However, there is no evidence of police officials being involved in drug business. Despite that, we recommended their transfer. Later, they were transferred.”
There are names of two police officials of Shyampur police station in the list of drug dealers DMP made. They are - SI Tanmoy Mondal and ASI Manik Mia. They run the drug business through sources named Aminur, Ishan and Shaheen, police said.
There are also police members who are drug addicted. According to the sources in the DMP, some 126 police members, from the post of constable to SI, have been identified as drug addicted. Some 116 of them have lost their jobs
This correspondent tried to contact ASI Manik Mia for his comment on this over the phone but he didn’t respond.
There are also police members who are drug addicted. According to the sources in the DMP, some 126 policemen, from the post of constable to SI, have been identified as drug addicted. Some 116 of them have lost their jobs.
Number of drug dealers
DMP has included names of drug dealers from the entire city in the list. However, the complete list was not available. Therefore, it was not possible to know whether there are names of more police officials in the list of drug dealers or not.
According to the incomplete list, there are a total of 58 drug dealers in the Wari zone of the DMP, including 11 in areas under the Gendaria police station, nine in Wari police station, 12 in Kadamtali police station, 11 in Shyampur police station, six in Jatrabari police station and nine in areas under the Demra police station. Of them, 48 are men and 10 are women.
There are 73 spots for selling and consuming drugs in areas under the six police stations in the Wari zone. For instance, there is a female wholesale dealer of yaba and heroin in the Molla Math area near the Distillery Road of Gendaria police station. There is another wholesale dealer of yaba and phensedyl in the Dhupkhola Math area.
When asked how the dealers run business despite police knowing their names, former inspector general of police (IGP) Nur Mohammad told Prothom Alo, “The drug dealers get released on bail and resume their business. We all have to work in an coordinated way to prevent the drug dealers.”
Speaking about the involvement of police members in drug business, he said, “Transfer is not any punishment. The police member involved should be investigated and suspended.”
* The report, originally published in the print edition of Prothom Alo, has been rewritten by Ashish Basu