A written complaint has been filed against 10 officials of the Narcotics Control Department (DNC) for accepting a bribe of Tk 2 million, demanding extortion and framing them in false cases. Farhad Billa Rubel (39), a businessman and owner of ready-made garment exporter 'La Peseta Fashion and Trading Corporation' in the capital's Nikunja area, has made this complaint.
On June 7, he submitted a written application with specific information in this regard to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Law and the Director General (DG) of the Narcotics Control Department. A copy of the complaint has been received by this correspondent.
Complainant's Claim and Event Details:
In the written complaint, businessman Farhad Billa Rubel claimed that buyers and foreign guests from different countries regularly visit his office and home for business purposes. Some of them used to bring foreign drinks or hookah-related items for personal use, some of which were left in his office after being used.
According to the complaint, on April 7 at 6:50 pm, 10 to 12 people entered his office in the name of the Narcotics Control Department. Among them were Inspector Mahbub Rahman, Assistant Director Mostaq Ahmed, Sub-Inspector Abdullah Al Mamun, Assistant Sub-Inspector Mohammad Ali, Trishna Rani Biswas, Rubel Hossain, Saiful Islam, Mahmudul Hasan and Lutfar Rahman, along with a few other officials, the complaint states.
According to Farhad Billa Rubel, when the officials entered the office and started to shuffle important documents, he reached there at 7:13 pm after receiving the news. When he asked about the reason for the incident, he was physically and mentally tortured and initially demanded a ransom of Tk 1 crore by threatening to implicate him in a drug case. Later, when one of the officials (Rubel Hossain) spoke to Deputy Director Mehdi Hasan on his phone, the demanded amount was reduced to Tk 5 million and pressured to pay half of the money immediately.
The complaint further states that when he refused to pay, he was forcibly taken away in a car at 9:40 pm. Later, at around 11:10 pm, Deputy Director Mehedi Hasan himself came and took away the Tk 20 lakh cash from the businessman's bag. He was then taken to various areas including Banani, Gulshan and Hatirjheel in Dhaka and taken to the Narcotics Control Department office in Gendaria late at night.
Case and CCTV Footage Discrepancies
The complainant claimed that even after taking the Tk 20 lakh cash, a case was filed against him at Khilkhet Police Station the next day (April 8) under the relevant section of the Narcotics Control Act (Case No. 12/4/26).
However, Rubel claims that the way he is mentioned as a drug dealer in the case report is completely fictitious. Even the signature on the seizure list is not his. In addition, the time mentioned in the report of the officers' entry and exit during the operation does not match the CCTV footage of the building. According to CCTV footage, the officers entered much earlier than the time mentioned in the complaint and left much later.
Crime Analyst's Viewpoint
"When such serious allegations of corruption, irregularities or abuse of power are made against government officials, the concerned agency should investigate it very quickly and take necessary action by ensuring transparency." — Dr. Touhidul Haque, Associate Professor, Dhaka University.
Statement of the Authority
When asked about the complaint, Narcotics Control Department Director (Operations) Md. Bashir Ahmed said, "A written complaint has been submitted to the head office. The matter is still being investigated in detail. However, if the allegations against any officer are proven, the department will definitely follow the zero tolerance policy and take strict action as per the law."