A Dhaka court has found flaws in the chargesheet submitted by the Department of Narcotics Control in a case filed over the recovery of around 39,000 yaba pills from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in 2020.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Tamanna Farah yesterday ordered the director general of the DNC to initiate further investigation into the case by an official not below the rank of deputy director. The magistrate added that the investigator of the case did not conduct the probe properly.
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Investigation Officer Masudur Rahman dropped the names of eight accused, who confessed to smuggling yaba pills, in the chargesheet submitted to the court on August 8 this year, the magistrate said in her order.
"There is no scope to drop names of persons who have given confessional statements before magistrates about their involvement with the incident," said the magistrate's order.
Masudur Rahman, an inspector of the DNC, pressed charges against six people in the narcotics case.
Before submitting the chargesheet, Masudur Rahman took opinions from Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Md Abdullah Abu.
Masudur told The Daily Star, "I dropped names of eight accused from the chargesheet based on opinions of PP Abdullah Abu.
"During the investigation, I did not find their involvement in the case even though they confessed to magistrates," the investigator said.
The Daily Star could not reach Abdullah Abu for his comment as his phone was switched off.
The investigator was also asked by the court on August 8 why he dropped the names of eight accused.
The investigator yesterday submitted a written explanation before the court, said a general recording official of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka.
On October 16, 2020, DNC recovered 38,887 yaba pills at the airport in the capital and arrested Abu Shamim and Firoz Ahmed in connection with the recovery.
Later, a case was filed under the Narcotics Control Act with Airport Police Station.
DNC also arrested 10 more people for their alleged involvement with smuggling yaba pills.
All 12 accused gave confessional statements before magistrates on different dates.
All arrestees are now out on bail in the case.
Among the accused, Hasmat Ali Prince and Rafiqul Islam, a Saudi expatriate, were also shown as fugitives in the chargesheet.
On April 24, Younus Miah Prokash Liton, a mastermind behind yaba smuggling, was arrested from Matuail Maternity in the capital's Kadamtoli.
Md Asadullah, another accused, told the court that Liton and Prince kept those yaba in three cartons to send to Saudi Arabia where expatriate Rafiqul Islam will receive those, said the case documents.
Moreover, Liton confessed to the magistrate that he along with Prince, Rafiq and Md Sharif were running yaba smuggling business for a long time.
