Raids at education minister's APS residence after seizing LSD

A parcel with lethal drug lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) was couriered to Dhaka from Netherlands. 

After confiscating the consignment, the department of narcotics control (DNC) raided the government residence of Mafizur Rahman, the assistant personal secretary (APS) of the education minister, Dipu Moni.  

While raiding the house on Monday at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in Dhaka, the department arrested Ibrahim Kibria, the brother-in-law of Mafizur. Earlier on the day, the authorities conducted drives at different places of Dhaka and arrested Fardin Khan and Ajraf Ahmed (Ozy) -- friends of Ibrahim. 

Requesting to be unnamed, several officials of the DNC said Mafizur and his brother-in-law Ibrahim would stay at the government residence of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. Ibrahim would control the racket of LSD peddlers from the residence with the help of Ajraf and Fardin. They all are addicted to LSD.

Of them, Fardin is a student of a private university while Ajraf, a singer by profession, resides in the capital's Badda.   

Assistant director (acting) of the DNC Dhaka divisional office, Mohammad Rifat Hossain, on Thursday told Prothom Alo that Fardin was arrested with possession of LSD.

Based on his information, Ajraf was arrested from Gulshan and Ibrahim from Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. However, no LSD was seized while arresting Ibrahim and Ajraf. The department seized cannabis (Gaza) from their possession.

The department sources said a case was filed with the Paltan police station on Tuesday, accusing Fardin, while Ibrahim and Ajraf were fined and jailed for one day.

Several officials of the DNC said the department’s officials were pressured by influential quarters to free Ibrahim and Ajraf. That’s why they were shown arrested with cannabis (ganja). An official told Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity that press conferences are held in cases of seizure of LSD drugs. As influential people were involved with shipment of the LSD in this case, the matter was hushed up.

Minister’s APS Mafizur Rahman was called several times but did not pick up. Later a message was sent to him for comment on this issue, but he did not respond to that either.

DNC Dhaka intelligence office’s sub inspector Iqbal Ahmed filed a general diary with Paltan model police station on Tuesday over the seizure of LSD. As per the GD, the parcel from Netherlands’ capital Amsterdam reached foreign post office in the city’s Topkhana on 8 May.

The parcel was searched the next day on a tip-off and 25 LSDs wrapped in foil packs were recovered. The parcel was sent to Fardin Khan of Dakkhin Badda Kachabazar.

Intelligence officials of the DNC said a team went to the postal department's Gulshan branch to detain Fardin.

He, however, did not come to receive the parcel and sent Ajraf instead. The DNC officials nabbed Ajraf from the spot and later tricked Fardin to come to Gulshan and detained him too.

During the primary interrogation, the duo told the DNC officials that Ibrahim, brother in law of education minister’s APS Mafizur, is involved with the LSD cartel.

Later, DNC conducted a drive in Mafizur’s house and detained his brother in law Ibrahim.