Law-&-Order
Goods worth Tk131 crore seized in January: BGB
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Thursday said they seized goods, arms, and drugs worth Tk130.63 crore in January.
The seized items include 523,268 yaba pills, 3.169kg crystal meth, 14,617 bottles of Phensedyl, 22,728 bottles of foreign liquor, 133 litres of local liquor, 5,229 cans of beer, 2,501kg hemp, 8.832kg heroin, 19,289 stimulant injections, 10,947 Eskuf syrups, and 905 bottles of MkDil/Cofidil, Shariful Islam, public relations officer of the BGB headquarters, said.
Also, 31.628kg gold, 6.061kg silver, 162,109 cosmetics, 22,510 imitation jewellery, 10,789 sarees, 5,763 three-piece sets, blankets and shirt pieces; 2,712 pieces of readymade garments, 3,386 cubic feet of timber, 3,942kg Indian tea, 86,714kg coal, 1,074kg pesticide, two touchstone idols, 79 motorcycles, seven cars, 13 pickup vans, 20 CNG and battery-run auto-rickshaws were also seized.
Read more: BGB seized Tk98 crore goods in October
The seized arms include two pistols, 22 guns, 130 rounds of ammunition, one mortar shell and 60mm mortar ammunition.
Also, legal action was taken against 198 smugglers, 52 Bangladesh nationals as well as seven Indian nationals for illegally crossing the border, Shariful said.
Brahmanbaria-2 by-polls: Missing independent candidate Asif traced in Dhaka
Missing independent candidate in the by-polls to Brahmanbaria-2 Abu Asif Ahmed was traced in the city’s Bashundhara area five days after he went missing from his electoral area, police said on Thursday.
Mohammad Shakawat Hossian, superintendent of police (SP) in the district, said they came to know about his whereabouts when they contacted victim’s wife Meherunnesa for their investigation over his disappearance on Thursday.
“He (Asif) will be brought back from the capital and interrogated about his disappearance,” he said.
Asif, who was expelled from the BNP for contesting in the election, went missing on January 27 after he had come out of his house for campaign.
Read more: B’baria-2 by-polls: Wife submits application to find missing candidate Asif
Later, his wife lodged a GD at the local police station in this connection while an application was also sent to the Chief Election Commissioner to find her missing husband on January 31.
Asif is the former president of Ashuganj Upazila unit BNP and the former chairman of Upazila Parishad. In the Brahmanbaria-2 by-poll, he was the main opponent of the expelled leader of BNP and five-time Member of Parliament, Abdus Sattar Bhuiyan.
14 kgs gold seized at Dhaka airport
Customs preventive team of Dhaka Customs House (DCH) seized 120 gold bars worth Tk 13.50 crore from inside a passenger carrying bus owned by US Bangla Airlines at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) on Thursday.
Sources at the HSIA said the DCH had a secret information that a smuggler syndicate would bring a large gold consignment in Dhaka from Dubai by a flight of US Bangla Airlines and then the consignment will be smuggled out through passenger carrying vehicle of the airlines.
When a vehicle reached near Gate-21 carrying passengers from the aircraft, customs officials started questioning driver after passengers got down from the vehicle, said Shafiqur Rahman, an officer of the DCH.
At one stage, Md Harunor Rashid, 40, the driver of the ram bus, admitted that gold consignment had been kept hidden inside the vehicle.
Then the customs preventive team recovered four packets containing the gold bars, kept hidden inside the bus, the Customs official said.
After searching the four packets at the customs hall, they found 120 gold bars weighing around 14.132 kgs, he added.
A case was filed with airport police station.
Paying tribute to Mushtaq: SC clears way for Prof Rahmat to continue academic activities
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for Dhaka University Prof Rahmat Ullah, who was relieved by the university authorities for paying tribute to Khandakar Mushtaq Ahmad, to continue his academic activities.
The five-member bench of the Appellate Division, led by Justice Borhanuddin passed the order after disposing of a leave-to appeal petition.
It also asked the High Court to dispose of the rule issued in this regard soon.
On June 8, 2022, the High Court stayed the decision of the universities relieving Prof Rahmat from academic and administrative activities and issued a rule in this regard.
Senior Lawyer Ahsanul Karim and Advocate Syeda Nasrin stood for Prof. Rahmat while Advocate Mohamamd Hossain represented the university authorities.
DU Prof. Rahmat paid tribute to member of Mujibnagar government and Khandakar Mushtaq Ahmad on historical ‘Mujibnagar Day’ on April 17 last year.
Later the DU authorities relieved Prof. Rahmat Ullah from academic and administrative activities.
Prof Rahman filed a writ petition challenging the DU decision.
Bangladesh received $1.96 billion in remittances in January amid dollar crisis
The inward remittance flow in January came as good news while Bangladesh Bank (BB) is struggling with LCs liabilities to import essential commodities and industrial raw materials amid volatile foreign exchange supply.
In January, Bangladesh received $1.96 billion in the legal channel, the BB updated data revealed on Wednesday. In December, the remittance was $1.69 billion.
Bangladesh received $12.45 billion inward remittances in seven months (July-January) in the current fiscal year 2022-23.
Read More: Banks to stop charging any fees for handling remittances.
Bank officials said many import payments are being deferred due to the dollar crisis. For this, expatriate income of dollars are being bought at a higher price than the fixed price.
As a result, expatriate income increased. If the price limit of the dollar is removed, the crisis will go away, they said.
The BB spokesperson Mesbaul Haque told UNB that in order to increase remittance inflow, the central bank has increased the exchange rate of US dollars for remittance.
Read more: Bangladesh Bank simplifies receiving remittance
In addition to a 2.5 percent hassle-free incentive for remittance, several banks also provide additional incentives to attract foreign exchange, he said.
Banks will not cut any charge or fee for sending remittances in the legal channel, he said.
Research by Bangladesh Bank found that more than 40 percent of remittance of expatriate income is sent to the country through hundi.
Read More: Bangladesh 9th in remittances with US$ 15.9b: World Bank.
50 held in anti-drugs drives across Dhaka
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Wednesday claimed to have arrested 50 people on charges of selling and consuming banned drugs.
Sources at the DMP headquarters said Detective Branch sleuths and local police conducted drives across the city in the past 24 hours and arrested them.
Around 4,766 pieces of yaba, 44.320kg cannabis, 150g heroin, 72 bottles of foreign liquor, and 20 bottles of Phensedyl, a codeine-based cough syrup that fetches a high price in the narcotics market of Bangladesh, were recovered from the possession of the accused, the sources told UNB.
Also Read: Drug peddling: Fugitive convict arrested from Gazipur after seven years, says Rab
Thirty-one cases were registered at local police stations against them under the Narcotics Control Act.
Drives against air pollution: 10 establishments, 26 vehicles fined TK 4.45 lakh
The Department of Environment (DoE) has fined 10 establishments and 26 vehicles TK 4.45 lakh through mobile court operations at five spots in Dhaka and its adjacent areas for polluting air.
The drives were conducted at Savar, Manik Mia avenue, Khilkhet, Aftabnagar, and Bypass Expressway area of Gazipur.
Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin visited the mobile court operations at Manik Mia avenue, Khilkhet, and Aftabnagar.
“Government will do whatever is needed to curb air pollution. We would continue our drives against polluters,” said the minister.
Also Read: Dhaka’s air pollution: HC asks what steps have been taken
Deputy Minister of the ministry Habibun Nahar, Secretary Dr. Farhina Ahmed, Director General of DoE, and other senior officials were also present during the drives.
Secretary Dr. Farhina Ahmed said the ministry urged all DCs to take action against polluters.
A special meeting is will be held to determine the related ministry’s responsibilities, she said.
Two contractor firms of Dhaka Bypass Expressway and BRT highway were fined TK 1 lakh.
TK 2.5 lakh fine was collected from 7 establishments at Aftabnagar. The rest of the amount was collected from different vehicles.
Man held with gold worth Tk 4.5cr along Lalmonirhat border
Members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) claimed to have detained a person with 45 gold bars along the India border in the district on Tuesday.
Md Azizur Rahman, 58, is from Durgapur village under Aditmari upazila in the district, according to a press release signed by BGB-15 Commandant Lieutenant Colonel Mofazzal Hossain Akanda.
The battalion received a tip that a big consignment of gold was going to be smuggled to India through Kutichar border area under the Aditmari upazila.
As per the information, BGB men took up positions along the border and eventually challenged a person heading towards the border. But instead of cooperating, this man, who would turn out to be Azizur, tried to run away, and BGB gave chase.
Read more: BGB detains woman with gold worth over Tk 8 million in Benapole
The BGB personnel eventually detained Azizur and recovered the gold weighing around 5.249 kilograms from his body. The market value of the gold is estimated to be around Tk 4.5 crore. The gold bars were wrapped with cloth and tape.
Later, the detainee was handed over to the concerned police station where a process was underway to file a case in this connection, the BGB release added.
Later, the detainee was handed over to the concerned police station where a process was underway to file a case in this connection, the BGB release added.
BGB recovers six Indian air guns along Chuadanga border
Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) recovered six Indian air guns left behind by a duo who crossed over from India along the border in Chuadanga on Tuesday night. However as soon as they sensed the BGB's presence, they turned back towards the border, and presumably managed to cross over.
Shah Md Ishtiak, director of BGB-6 based in Chuadanga, said a team of the frontier battalion took position along the border on information that a consignment of arms was coming to Bangladesh from India through the border.
Faruk Hossain, commandant of the Phulbari BOP, said at one point two people carrying two cartons entered Bangladesh territory from India near pillar No 86.
Read more: Arms, ammo recovered from Rajshahi border
Sensing the presence of BGB, they immediately fled through a field of maize leaving the cartons behind, Commandant Faruk said.
Later, the six firearms were recovered from the cartons the duo left behind, the BGB officer said, adding that a case was filed at the concerned police station in this connection.
Dhaka’s air pollution: HC asks what steps have been taken
The High Court on Tuesday wanted to know the steps taken to prevent air pollution in Dhaka and asked the authorities concerned including the Department of Environment to inform about it on February 5.
The HC bench of Justice KM Kamrul Kader and Justice Mohammad Ali passed the order after hearing a petition seeking implementation of the court orders in this regard.
Senior lawyer Manzill Murshid stood for the petitioner while Amatul Karim and Syed Ahmed Raza represented the Department of Environment and Dhaka South City Corporation, respectively.
Read more: Around 60 percent brick kilns are operating illegally: Minister
The HC issued the nine-point directive on January 13, 2020 after hearing a writ petition filed by the Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB).
Murshid filed a petition seeking implementation of the higher court’s nine-point directive on Monday.
For the past several days, it has been reported that Dhaka has ranked the worst in the air quality index in the world, he said.
In New Delhi, the government imposed an emergency situation when it experienced the worst air quality in the world but the authorities in Dhaka have no worries about it, he said.
The nine-point directive of the High Court includes
• Ensuring the use of covers on trucks or other vehicles that transport sand or soil in the capital, Dhaka.
• Contractors should cover the construction sites
• Taking steps to sprinkle water on Dhaka roads
• Ensuring complete road construction or excavation work or carpeting complying with laws, rules and terms and conditions of the agreement.
• To seize those vehicles involved in emitting black smoke.
• To fix the economic life of vehicles plying on roads as per the Road Transport Act 2018 and to impose ban on movement of unfit vehicles.
• To shut down the illegal brick fields which are operating without licence and submit a report within two months.
• Stop burning of tyres and recycling of vehicles’ batteries without approval from the DoE.
• Taking steps to ensure that all the market owners or shopkeepers keep their garbage in bags and the city corporations were asked to remove those after the shops or markets are closed.
Read more: Remove illegal brick kilns in 4 districts: HC
The HRPB filed a writ petition attaching a report published in different newspapers on January 21, 2019 on air pollution in Dhaka.