Two police personnel have been arrested with yaba tablets and suspected drug-consumption equipment during a raid on a residential hotel in Rangpur city. A court has rejected their bail applications and ordered them to be sent to jail in connection with a case filed over the incident.
The two accused were produced before the Rangpur Metropolitan Court on Friday afternoon, 16 October. The court subsequently rejected their bail pleas and ordered their detention in jail, according to police.
The arrested men have been identified as Omar Ali, a resident of Konabari village under Belkuchi police station in Sirajganj district, and Mithul Islam, from Mohonpur village in Biral upazila of Dinajpur district.
Milon Kumar Chatterjee, an investigation inspector at the Kotwali Police Station of Rangpur Metropolitan Police, confirmed the court’s order.
According to the authorities, a team from the Rangpur office of the Department of Narcotics Control raided Sky View Hotel near Payra Chattar in Rangpur city on Thursday night, 15 October. During the operation, the team arrested the two police personnel from a room at the hotel.
A search of the room led to the recovery of 19 yaba tablets concealed inside a Derby cigarette packet beneath the bed. The team also seized a pipe allegedly used for consuming yaba, four gas lighters and two pieces of foil paper.
Following the raid, the two men were handed over to the police for further legal proceedings.
Tahamuadar Rahman, an inspector at the Rangpur office of the Department of Narcotics Control, filed a case against the accused over the incident. The recovered tablets and other items are expected to form part of the evidence in the case.
Speaking about the two accused, Chatterjee said Omar Ali had previously been arrested in connection with a drug-related incident while still serving as a police officer. Ali is currently under suspension, the police official added.
Mithul Islam, meanwhile, is serving as a constable at Rangpur Police Lines, according to Chatterjee.
The incident has brought renewed attention to allegations of drug-related offences involving members of the law enforcement agencies. The arrest of serving police personnel in connection with such allegations raises questions about professional conduct and accountability within the force.
The case will proceed through the legal system, where the evidence gathered during the raid and other relevant information will be considered. However, the allegations against the two men have not yet been established in court, and their guilt will be determined through the judicial process.
