Father and Daughter Detained in Durgapur Following £19,000 Contraband Seizure

Law enforcement officers in Netrokona’s Durgapur upazila have arrested a father and his daughter after seizing 740 bottles of contraband Phensedyl syrup valued at roughly 2,960,000 BDT (approximately £19,000).

The raid was conducted on Thursday afternoon, 30 July, in the Bagichapara neighbourhood of the upazila. Police identified the suspects as local resident Shafiqul Islam, 56, and his daughter, Najmun Nahar Khanam, 23, both accused of involvement in cross-border drug smuggling operations.

The recovery stems from intelligence obtained during the interrogation of a commercial driver, identified as Jalil, who was apprehended to the previous evening. Acting on clues that a large shipment of illegal pharmaceuticals was stashed at Jalil’s residence, a police team searched a livestock shed on the property, where they discovered several sacks filled with Indian-manufactured Phensedyl syrup.

Follow-up inquiries revealed that the hidden consignment was owned and managed by Shafiqul and his daughter, prompting police to detain the pair at the scene. Authorities estimated the illicit market value of each bottle at 4,000 BDT. The seized contraband has been deposited into the police custody for forensic processing prior to court-ordered destruction.

Khondokar Shaker Ahmed,  Officer in-Charge of Durgapur Police Station, stated that officers had initially impounded a modified lorry fitted with concealed compartments on Wednesday night. Interrogating the driver led officers directly to the secondary cache stored inside the cattle shed.

The police chief confirmed that a regular criminal case under the Narcotics Control Act is being registered against the father and daughter, and both suspects will be produced in court to face formal proceedings.