Local residents seized two vehicles carrying 120 sacks of diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertiliser in Naogaon while being smuggled to another district on Tuesday night.
The incident took place on the Dubalhati-Hapania road around 10:00pm.
According to locals, 120 sacks of DAP fertiliser were loaded onto two vehicles from the warehouse of M/S Molla Traders, owned by Wasef Ali Molla at Dubalhati in Sadar upazila.
The vehicles were heading to Rajshahi when locals stopped them on the Hapania road after becoming suspicious. The drivers later admitted their destination.
The dealer’s manager, Mamun, faced angry locals before leaving the scene as police and administration officials were expected.
He claimed he had issued the sale memos and released the vehicles on the owner's instructions but did not know who bought the fertiliser or its destination.
Naogaon Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Nurul Amin said a mobile court operation was conducted at night with the agriculture officer and police following information from local residents.
A total of 120 sacks of DAP fertiliser – 60 from each vehicle – were seized during the operation, he said.
As the dealer or his representative was not present, the seized fertiliser was kept in the custody of the Dubalhati Union Parishad office following legal procedures, the UNO added.