Police in Habiganj’s Bahubal upazila have detained two people, including a former Chhatra Dal leader, over allegations that a lorry carrying cumin was stopped and its owner was asked to pay Tk 500,000.
The lorry, carrying 171 sacks of cumin purchased through a government auction, was reportedly being transported to Sylhet when it was stopped in the Titarkona area of Bahubal. Police later recovered the vehicle and the consignment following an operation.
The two detainees are Helal Mahaldar, a former joint organising secretary of Habiganj district Chhatra Dal, and Ibrahim Mia, a resident of Mamdanagar village in Bahubal. Helal is the son of Haji Khorshed Mia of Paschim Joypur village in the upazila.
Police detained the pair during an operation in Titarkona early on Saturday, 12 September.
According to police and related sources, the lorry was transporting the 171 sacks of cumin to Sylhet after the consignment had been purchased through a government auction. When the vehicle reached Titarkona, it was allegedly stopped and taken behind a petrol station, where it was kept.
The petrol station is reportedly owned by Helal Mahaldar’s father.
The cumin owner, Mohammad Obaidullah, was allegedly contacted by phone after the lorry was stopped. Helal Mahaldar and his associates are accused of demanding Tk 500,000 from him in connection with the release of the vehicle and its cargo.
Following the incident, the owner’s side informed Bahubal Model Police Station and lodged a complaint. Acting on the complaint, police launched an operation under the direction of Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Ruhul Amin Talukdar.
A patrol team subsequently detained Helal Mahaldar and Ibrahim Mia in the Titarkona area and took them to the police station.
Police said information obtained during questioning led them to conduct another operation in the Bhugli area at around 9am. Officers recovered the lorry along with the cumin during the operation.
A second search was later carried out in the Mirpur-Titarkona area, where police recovered additional sacks of cumin, according to the authorities.
The incident is now being investigated to establish how the lorry was stopped, where the consignment was kept and whether other people were involved in the alleged demand for money. Police are also continuing efforts to identify and detain any other individuals suspected of involvement.
The allegation of extortion remains under investigation, and the detention of the two men does not by itself establish their guilt. Further legal action will be determined on the basis of the investigation and evidence collected by the authorities.
Bahubal Model Police Station OC Mohammad Ruhul Amin Talukdar confirmed the incident and said legal proceedings against the detainees were under way.
He also said police operations were continuing to arrest others who may have been involved in the incident.
