20 tons betel-nuts seized

Bagerhat Correspondent :

Police have seized about 20 tons of stolen betel-nuts in Fakirhat under Bagerhat district. In this connection a case was lodged with the local PS (Police Station) against 3 persons on Friday (February 27), according to a delayed report received here.
The estimated market price of the recovered betel-nuts is Tk.97 lakh 32 thousand. The accused in the case are Mamun Khan (38), son of Md. Soleman Khan of Taltala village within RupsaUpazila in Khulna district, Tuhin Khan (55), son of Md. Soleman Khan of MostaafarMor (turn) under Harintana PS in Khulna district and Moni Sheikh (43), son of late Abdul Hakim Sheikh of village Barasia under FakirhatUpazila in Bagerhat district. It is learnt that the betel-nuts imported from Thailand was supposed to go to India via Mongla Port. According to the police and complaint sources, a contract was signed to transport the betel-nuts through a transport company named “M/S. Sanad Transport Agency, Khulna”.
owned by Gopal Chandra Ghose, a resident of Tala in Satkhira district.
In the evening of February 23 some 20 tons of betel-nuts in 250 bags were sent from Mongla Port to Benapol (land) Port. The vehicle is owned by Tuhin Khan and the driver is Mamun Khan.
The goods were supposed to reach Benapol Port on February 24, but they did not arrive. Later, attempts were made to contract the owner and the driver of the vehicle, but their mobiles were found switched off. When the matter seemed suspicious, the transport authorities and the betel-nuts owners started searching.
At one stage, based on secret information, it was learnt that the betel-nuts were kept in a rented house at the village Satshoira under FakirhatUpazila. Upon receiving the information, a patrol team of Fakirhat Model PS led by SI Md. ShibliNomani conducted a raid on the spot. There, 250 sacks of betel-nuts wrapped in burlap were recovered from the stairwell of the rented house belonging to Monir Sheikh at Thursday (February 26) night.