14 arrested for ‘black marketing’ of train tickets at Dhaka rail stations

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested 14 people including two kingpins from Dhaka airport and Kamalapur railway stations for alleged black marketing of train tickets.

The arrestees are -- gang leaders Uttam Chandra Das, 30, and Md Selim, 50, gang members Anwar Hossain alias Kashem, 62, Abani Sarker Sumon, 35, Md Harun Miah, 60, Md Mannan, 50, Md Anwar Hossain, 50, Md Faruk, 62, Md Shahidul Islam Babu, 22, Md Jewel, 23, Md Abdur Rahim, 32, Md Morshed Miah, 45, Abdul Ali, 22, and Md Zobayer.

The RAB arrested them in separate drives from Kamalapur and Airport Railway Stations Thursday night, RAB legal and media wing director commander Khandaker Al Moin said in a press briefing at its media centre at Karwan Bazar on Friday.

RAB also seized 1,244 train tickets of different routes, 14 mobile phone sets and Tk 20,000 in cash from their possession, he added.

The arrestees allegedly confessed to their crimes in primary interrogation.

“Selim had been operating their activities at Kamalapur Railway Station while Uttam at Airport Railway Station for a long time. They used to block and subsequently collect the tickets of different trains from railway servers and booking counters with the help of corrupt employees. The gang members used to take 50 per cent of the ticket black marketing profit, the other 50 per cent was given to the corrupt railway employees,” Khandaker Al Moin said.

“If station masters or anyone concerned is found involved in the train ticket black marketing would be brought to justice,” the RAB official added.