Police have arrested three more drug dealers from Malipara in Chattogram's Barishal Colony two days after two others were killed in a drive on Thursday. Some say the 'drug haven' never ceases work, but only shifts ownership after raids.
An investigation showed that the ownership of the Barishal Colony shifts mostly between two gangs whenever police raid the area to curb the drug dealing.
Locals also said the other gang drug dealers take charge of the area on Ice Factory Road close to the Chattogram Railway Station, when the gang in power is cornered during a police drive. The cornered group then waits for a new operation by the police.
The three drug dealers detained on Saturday night, Hanif alias Khokon, 35, Kazi Md Abdullah, 28, and Khokon Kumar Das, 32, were from the gang opposed to group led by Habibur Rahman and Md Mosharaf, who were killed in a 'shootout' on Thursday, said police.
The three detainees were followers of drug dealer Farook, who was killed in a 'shootout' with RAB last year, said police. Farook's younger brother Shukkur took control of Barishal Colony on Friday.
"The detainee Khokon was the driver of Farook and got involved in the yaba syndicate; all the detainees have been working for Farook's younger brother Shukkur," Sadarghat Police Station OC Nezam Uddin told bdnews24.com.
He said a police team conducted a drive inside Malipara Railway Quarters and arrested the three. The police also recovered a pistol, a magazine with four bullets, three sharp weapons and 623 yaba pills, along with a large number of drug kits."They always stock weapons to protect themselves from the opposing gang," said OC Nezam.
Police said Salamat and Nasir had control over the area when RAB conducted a drive on Thursday but Shukkur's gang took over when they fled. The Barishal Colony, a fenced neighbourhood adjacent to the railway station, is owned by the Bangladesh Railway and houses people from the lower income groups.
Locals say the Barishal Colony has shanties used for drug peddling and substance abuse. Traffickers dig trenches in the area to hide drugs.Drug trafficking is prevalent in other adjacent areas, such as Bastuhara Colony, Dhopar Maath and Moriccha Lane.
Though law-enforcement agencies and the Department of Narcotics Control conducted several drives in the neighbourhood, the kingpins of the drug trade have remained out of reach. The security forces were attacked many times during their drive while some of the drug dealers were killed in their internal dispute over territory and power.
According to police and locals, Farook and Yusuf, who died in a shootout with RAB last year, were the heads of the drug business.In the 1990s, the Barishal Colony drug trade was controlled by a person called Rafique, but he was ousted by Monir and Farook a decade ago.
Eventually Farook and Monir came into conflict and their gang was split in two with leaders Salamat and Nasir joining Farook and Belal, Bahar and Nayan remaining with Monir. Nayan was killed in an internal feud in 2012. Locals said Yusuf took over a part of the area during the conflict between Farook and Monir.However, Farook nearly took full control of Barishal Colony once Monir 'disappeared' in 2016.At first Farook and Yusuf did not clash, but a conflict eventually developed regarding another person called Khasru. Farook was killed in a 'shootout' with RAB on Oct 20 of last year.
There was also an internal conflict within Farook's family as his younger brother Shukkur as well as his wife and brother-in-law Rana wanted to take control over his 'yaba business,' said police. Farook's wife and brother-in-law then joined Yusuf's group while Shukkur joined Khasru.Khasru is currently in jail.
"Although he is in jail, Khasru tried to take over the control of Barishal Colony by forming a gang," a police official told bdnewes24.com on condition of anonymity.
According to his gang, Yusuf has fled to India. Nasir and Salamat, along with Farook's wife, had taken charge of the Barishal Colony on his behalf. Locals said Mosharraf alias Musa had run the drug trade's daily business on behalf of Nasir and Salamat but his associates fled the area when Musa was killed in a shootout with RAB.
"We have learned that Siraj, Malek, Raju, Helal, Shahjahan, Jewel, Lokman, Kala Monir, and Kashem -- led by Shukkur --have taken control of Barishal Colony's Malipara," said OC Nezam. He said a case had been filed against the three arrestees, Shukkur and others.
-bdnews24.com
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