About 40 tonnes of fabrics imported under false declaration were seized at the Chattogram Port by the Customs House on Wednesday.

Customs officials say the seized fabrics has an estimated market value of Tk 1.5 crore.

Sources at the Customs House said Nakano International Company Limited in Ishwardi export processing zone imported two containers of ‘bleached fabrics’ from China.

Also read: Ships docking at Ctg Port declined by 2pc due to Covid in 2020

One of the containers arrived about six weeks ago and the second one reached the port about three weeks ago but the company did not take any initiative to get them released.

This made the port officials suspicious about the importers. Customs House’s Assistant Commissioner Rejaul Karim said they verbally requested a representative of the importing company to have the goods tested.

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The company told them that they did not import the goods and that someone else had imported them using their name.

Karim said they would take legal action against people involved in the incident.

A Chattogram court on Wednesday granted three-day remand of 11 people including rebel councilor candidate Abdul Quader in a case filed over death of a man in a clash centering the Chattogram City Corporation polls.

Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate Court Judge Shafiuddin Ahmed passed the order.

The other remanded accused are MK Kabir Helal Uddin, 40, Obaidul Kabir Mintu, 40, Asaduzzaman Nur Raihan, 29, Imran Hossain Dollar, 24, Didar Ullah Dilu, 48, Minhaz Hossain Forhad, 20, Shahidul Alam Shahed, 37, Jahidul Alam Jahid, 25, Shahidul Islam, 33, and Abdur Rahman, 44.

Also read: 40 sued over CCC polls violence

Earlier, Sejan Mahmud, son of Babul Sardar, filed a case against 13 identified and 27 unidentified people in this connection with Double Mooring Police Station

Before that, around 26 people, including rebel Awami League candidate Abdul Quader, were arrested in this connection.

Also read: CCC city polls violence: AL rebel candidate, 25 others held

On Monday morning, an argument broke out between the supporters of Awami League-backed councillor candidate Nazrul Islam Bahadur and rebel candidate Quader after a poster was torn down at Magpukur in the Pathantuli area. The argument soon turned violent as the factions exchanged fire.

A 52-year-old man, identified as Azgarh Ali Babul Sardar, a supporter of Nazrul Islam, died on the spot after sustaining gunshot injuries during the violence, police said.  Jubo League activist Mahbub, who also suffered bullet injuries, is being treated at Chattogram Medical College Hospital, Das said.

Also read: Chattogram City Corporation polls: Man killed in AL factional clash

When contacted, Nazrul Islam blamed the supporters of Abdul Quader for the clashes as well as the death of his supporter.

The Chattogram City Corporation election is scheduled to be held on January 27.

The officer-in-charge (OC) of Faridpur’s Saltha Police Station has been withdrawn for “beating up” and “verbally abusing” a freedom fighter.

The OC, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, was withdrawn from the police station and shifted to Faridpur Police Lines on Wednesday, Md Alimuzzaman, superintendent of police in Faridpur, said.

Also read: Attack on UNO Wahida: Ghoraghat OC withdrawn

“No evidence showed that the OC had physically assaulted the freedom fighter. However, he was withdrawn considering the local situation,” Alimuzzaman said.

OC Mohammad Ali “assaulted” freedom fighter Mosharraf Hossain while he was trying to stop a clash between two groups in Khalishapatti village on Friday. 

Also read: Cox’s Bazar OC withdrawn as suspected drug trader dies in custody

The freedom fighters held a protest rally at the upazila’s Muktijoddha Complex the next day and gave a 24-hour ultimatum to withdraw the OC.

Police sources said a three-member probe committee, headed by Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration and Crime) Jamal Pasha, was formed over the issue.

Also read: Ex-army official killing: Teknaf OC withdrawn

The committee submitted its report to SP Alimuzzaman on Tuesday night.

At least six construction workers were killed and four others injured after a Kushtia-bound truck and a construction machine-laden vehicle collided head-on in Madandanga area of Shailkupa in Jhenaidah on Wednesday evening.

Three among the deceased were identified as Rabbi Hasan, 25, Ripon Hossain, 35, Mehedi Hasan, 32.

Identities of the other victims could not be known immediately.

Also read: Rickshaw puller killed in Brahmanbaria road crash

Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police Ariful Islam said some construction workers along with construction machine were going to Jhenaidah town at around 6:30pm while a truck hit their vehicle killing six on the spot and injuring four others.

The injured were taken to the Sadar Hospital, he said.

Meanwhile, road accidents continue to spike in Bangladesh, with the Road Safety Foundation (RSF), an advocacy group for less dangerous roads, reported 439 deaths from 417 accidents in November last year.

Also read: Three killed in Kishoreganj road crash

That meant fatalities were up nearly one-sixth or close to 16 percent from October, when 383 lives were lost in 314 accidents.

The number of accidents went up by nearly one-third, or 33 percent.

Nirapad Sarak Chai, another road safety advocacy group, in a report said that 5,227 people were killed in 4,702 road accidents in Bangladesh last year.

Also read: 1 killed in city road crash

The World Bank has said Bangladesh needs to invest an estimated extra $7.8 billion over the next decade to halve its fatalities from road crashes.

The report pointed to the high death rate on Bangladesh’s roads as the consequence of a chronic lack of investment in systemic, targeted, and sustained road safety programmes.

Also read: Road crash: 2 youths killed in Satkhira

A gang of yaba traders stabbed a police informer to death during a raid in Khulna city’s Bandabazar on Tuesday night.

The deceased Shafiqul Islam, 35, was an informer of Khulna Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch.

Two more police informers and a sub-inspector also got critically injured during the drive, Labanchara Police Station Officer-in-Charge Shamir Kumar Sardar confirmed this on Wednesday.

Also read: 2 Rohingya ‘Yaba traders’ killed in Cox’s Bazar ‘gunfight’

“Tipped off, the Detective Branch officials and three sources carried out the raid in Bandabazar to nab a gang of yaba traders,” Shamir said.

“However, it became clear to the officials that the drug peddlers knew that law enforcement was looking for them. The reason is yaba traders suddenly swooped down on the police team with knives.”

Also read: 'Yaba trader' killed in Cox's Bazar 'gunfight'

Two sources and a sub-inspector were rescued from the spot and rushed to Khulna Medical College Hospital where Shafiqul was declared dead.