2,00,000 cubic feet of stone looted from Sylhet's Utmachara recovered

The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has recovered about 200,000 cubic feet of stone looted from the Utmachara border area of Companiganj upazila in Sylhet.

On Tuesday (August 19), a special patrol team of Utma BOP, led by 48 BGB commander Lieutenant Colonel Md. Nazmul Haque, conducted a raid in Adarshgram, Companiganj and recovered the stones.

According to BGB sources, for an extended period, local criminal groups had been illegally extracting stones from the area and stockpiling them in various locations in Adarshpara village for smuggling. However, due to heightened BGB surveillance, poor transportation infrastructure, and internal disputes among the gangs, the smuggled stones could not be transported to other parts of the country.

Initially it is estimated that the amount of recovered stones is about 2 lakh cubic feet.

A joint operation, led by Sylhet District Assistant Commissioner and Executive Magistrate Efrahim Iqbal Chowdhury and involving the local administration, BGB, and police, is currently underway to accurately measure the seized stones and initiate legal action.

Efrahim Iqbal Chowdhury stated that the stones were stored on roads and in various houses in Adarshgram, comprising both old and recently excavated material. The stones were extracted from the Utmachara area.

"The recovered stones have been handed over to a local public representative for safekeeping, with their final disposal to be determined by higher authorities," he added.