Textbooks being sold in open market, 2 held with trucks full of books

DB Police has arrested two members of a gang who were selling and stockpiling books distributed free of charge to primary and secondary school students in the open market. At the same time, two trucks of books kept with them have been seized.

On Wednesday (January 22), the Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Branch (DB) Police conducted a drive in the capital and arrested them and recovered the books. DMP Media and Public Relations Department DC Muhammad Talebur Rahman gave this information.

He said that Joint Police Commissioner (DB-South) Mohammad Nasirul Islam will give details about this in a press conference organized at the DMP Media Center on Thursday (January 23) afternoon.

According to DB-Lalbagh Division sources, based on secret information, DB Police came to know that an unscrupulous gang has stockpiled government textbooks distributed free of charge for classes 1 to 10 in various godowns in Ispahani Gali of Banglabazar for sale. Based on such information, the Kotwali Zonal Team of DB Lalbagh Division conducted a raid there on Wednesday afternoon. In the raid, about 10,000 free government textbooks of various subjects of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board, Bangladesh for classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 were seized and two people named Sirajul and Delwar were arrested on charges of involvement in the incident. The estimated value of the seized books is eight lakh taka.

DB sources further informed about the information obtained during the initial interrogation that the detained persons along with other illegal hoarders were hoarding and selling these books to thwart the government's sincere efforts to distribute new textbooks at the beginning of the year and to gain financial benefits through illegal means.

Further legal action against the detainees is in the process of being taken. The DB police's operation is continuing to arrest others involved in this hoarding ring.