Authorities in Mymensingh have uncovered significant discrepancies in fuel records at a filling station owned by Azizul Haque, the member secretary of the Gauripur Upazila unit of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The irregularities were detected over a six-day period, involving nearly 50,000 litres of fuel, leading to the arrest of the station’s manager.
The filling station, Messrs Swad, is located in the Dhoukhala Koltapara market area of Gauripur. On Tuesday afternoon, a mobile court operation, led by Executive Magistrate Nurul Huda from the district administration, conducted a surprise inspection of the premises. During the operation, the station manager, Jalil Hossain, aged 30 and son of Usman Ghani of Himmatnagar village, was taken into custody.
Following the inspection, Assistant Certification Officer Afsarul Islam filed a written complaint at the local police station. The police subsequently registered a case under the Special Powers Act.
The investigation revealed significant inconsistencies between the fuel received and the manager’s records. According to depot data from Bhairab Bazar in Kishoreganj, the station was allocated 58,500 litres of petrol over the period 1–7 April. However, the manager only acknowledged receipt of 9,000 litres on 3 April, denying receipt of the other quantities. This discrepancy suggests possible illicit stockpiling or mismanagement of fuel.
| Date | Allocated Petrol (litres) | Manager Acknowledged (litres) | Discrepancy (litres) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 April | 13,500 | 0 | 13,500 |
| 2 April | 13,500 | 0 | 13,500 |
| 3 April | 9,000 | 9,000 | 0 |
| 4 April | 13,500 | 0 | 13,500 |
| 6 April | 9,000 | 0 | 9,000 |
| 7 April | 9,000 | 0 | 9,000 |
| Total | 67,500 | 9,000 | 58,500 |
Eyewitnesses, including local shopkeepers and motorcyclists, reported that fuel sales were conducted only on a single day during the month. A monitoring officer from the Upazila Livestock Office, Abdullah Al Mamun, confirmed that 3 April was the only day petrol was received and distributed the following day.
Azizul Haque defended his position, stating, “The station manager could not provide accurate information during the mobile court operation. The truth will be clarified through official channels.”
Gauripur Police Officer-in-Charge Kamrul Hasan confirmed that a case under the Special Powers Act had been filed due to the fuel record irregularities, and the manager is scheduled to be remanded to custody through the court on Wednesday.