Extortion from freight trucks still at large

It was almost half past midnight. A group of 7-8 youths were standing on one side of Kalighat intersection in the commercial area of Sylhet. Their faces were hidden with masks and they were wearing black hats. They were standing beside a freight truck wrapped with cloth. The number of the truck was Dhaka Metro-Ch-11-7319. The group of young men searched here and there for the truck driver and found him. They talked with the driver for about four minutes. One of them was seen talking over the phone. Within a few minutes they disappeared on a motorcycle. After talking to the driver, it was learnt that the truck was full of sugar.

The incident occurred on Saturday (September 7) midnight. Such scene can be seen almost every night in the city. Locals including truck drivers said that these trucks usually come from the border with stolen sugar and enters the city at night. They go to different parts of the country by paying extortion worth 8 to 10 thousand taka per truck.

Soleman Hossain, night watchman of Kalighat area, said that a group of youths extort money from the trucks in which sugar sacks are found. And the trucks that do not have sugar in it are released. Those who collect the money, they identify themselves as Jubo Dal and Chhatra Dal workers. Locals said that although the smugglers have changed, the smuggling business has not stopped. At one time there were accusations of extortion and control of this syndicate against the leaders and activists of Awami League and its organizations. However, the syndicate members have changed after Sheikh Hasina fled the country. The control of smuggling and extortion is now in the hands of BNP and its affiliates.

However, the locals informed these in condition of anonymity due to security reasons.

Meanwhile, law enforcements are seizing various illegal Indian products including sugar every day. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in a press release on Tuesday (September 10) informed about the seizure of Indian stolen goods worth approximately Tk 1 crore 37 lakh 60 thousand 690 from Lamapunji, a border area of Gowainghat Upazila. The seized products include Indian Skin Shine Cream-13,997 pieces, Indian Eyeglasses-17,766 pieces, Indian Move Spray-648 pieces, Indian Johnson Cream-1,037 pieces, Indian White Tone Cream-1,710 pieces, Indian Katan sarees-50 pieces, Indian poppy seeds -178 kg and Indian tea leaves-240 kg. Earlier on Monday, the police recovered 300 sacks of Indian sugar from Shah Paran Thana area on the Sylhet-Tamabil highway. Three people were arrested during the time.

Residents of the border areas said that on average sugar worth one and a half to two crore taka are smuggled through the border areas of Gowainghat, Companiganj and Jaintapur upazilas. This sugar goes to various parts of the country including the city's wholesale market Kalighat through the Tamabil-Jaintapur-Sylhet regional highway and the Bholaganj-Companiganj-Sylhet regional highway.

Locals informed that earlier the trucks used to enter the city under the patronage of Chhatra League and Jubo League leaders. Now the trucks are entering under the patronage of some leaders and activists of Jubo Dal and Chhatra Dal. Apart from this, in Haripur of Jaintapur Upazila, Shah Paran and Ambarkhana of Sylhet and the bypass area of Dakshin Surma Upazila, trucks are being stopped and collection is being made by Chhatra Dal leaders and activists.

Regarding the issue, Sylhet Superintendent of Police Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman said, "Drive against illegal activities is going on every day. Truckloads of stolen sugar are being seized. Many are being detained. Moreover, those involved in smuggling will be brought under the law. Irrespective of the party the accused belongs to, no one will be spared.'

Sylhet District BNP General Secretary Emran Hossain Chowdhury said that if any activists of the party are involved in these activities, stern action will be taken against him subject to proof.