A substantial law enforcement operation on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway has resulted in the recovery of a massive narcotic consignment comprising 124,000 pieces of yaba tablets. The illicit substances were found concealed inside the converted gas cylinder of an abandoned private motor car that had been impounded by the police in Sitakunda Upazila, Chittagong. According to initial institutional valuations provided by the regional authorities, the estimated market value of the confiscated contraband stands at approximately 35,000,000 taka (3.5 crore taka). However, no individuals connected to the smuggling operation could be apprehended at the scene during the initial interception.
Highway Interception and Pursuit Details
According to official sources within the regional police department, the operation commenced during the early hours of Monday, 9 June, while a routine highway patrol unit was stationed along the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway. Acting upon detailed intelligence reports received via secret operational networks, the monitoring team was alerted that a significantly large shipment of yaba tablets was actively being trafficked from the coastal district of Cox’s Bazar towards the capital city of Dhaka. Following the reception of this specific intelligence, the patrolling officers immediately intensified their surveillance protocols and heightened roadblocks across the major national transport artery.
During this period of elevated vigilance, the officers observed a Dhaka-bound private motor car executing suspicious navigational movements along the road. The police unit swiftly issued formal visual and acoustic signals directing the vehicle to pull over for a routine administrative inspection.
Instead of complying with the institutional orders, the driver deliberately ignored the signalling and accelerated the vehicle heavily in an attempt to escape from the law enforcement authorities at high speed. The patrol team initiated an immediate vehicular pursuit, chasing the escaping automobile along the highway. Realising they were being overtaken, the traffickers brought the private car to a sudden halt directly in front of the Boro Darogarhat weight scale station, abandoned the vehicle by the roadside, and fled into the darkness on foot to evade arrest.
Discovery of the Narcotic Stash and Formal Extraction
Following the escape of the occupants, the abandoned private car was formally impounded by the tracking unit and towed directly to the local Sitakunda Police Station for a comprehensive forensic search. During the initial physical evaluation of the vehicle’s interior components, the searching officers noted unusual modifications made to the onboard Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) storage cylinder, triggering suspicions that the container had been altered to serve as a hidden compartment.
The station officers promptly notified the senior administrative leadership of the district police regarding the structural anomaly. On Tuesday night, a formal inspection and extraction procedure was conducted at the station under the personal supervision and direct presence of the Additional Superintendent of Police (Detective Branch) of Chittagong District, identified as Officer Russel.
Upon cutting open and dismantling the suspicious metallic gas cylinder, the specialised unit discovered that the interior cavity had been meticulously stuffed with 124,000 pieces of individual yaba pills. The contraband tablets had been carefully packed inside airtight, waterproof protective wrapping sheets designed to protect the chemicals from heat and moisture during cross-country transit.
Law Enforcement Statements and Subsequent Legal Action
Providing an official brief on the successful recovery operation, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the Sitakunda Police Station, Mohinul Islam, verified the exact quantitative metrics of the seizure and confirmed that the estimated economic valuation of the recovered yaba pills amounted to roughly 3.5 crore taka.
The head of the police station further authorised specialised investigative units to trace the ownership records of the seized automobile to identify, locate, and arrest the fleeing driver and the associated members of the narcotics syndicate. Officer Mohinul Islam concluded his administrative statement by assuring the public that all necessary statutory legal proceedings and criminal cases are being systematically registered at the station in connection with the highway drug trafficking attempt.