A government employee from the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) in Meherpur has been sent to jail through a court order after being arrested with Yaba pills and heroin.
The arrestee, Ataur Rahman Jhantu, works as a Site Engineer (Mechanic) at the Meherpur DPHE office.
Prior to his arrest, he had been absent from his workplace for seven consecutive days.
Departmental authorities made multiple attempts to contact him, but his whereabouts could not be traced.
According to police and official sources, members of the Baribaka Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Camp arrested Jhantu alongside another man, Shahadat Hossain, from Kolupara in Dakshin Shalika on Sunday afternoon.
Jhantu, a resident of Camp Para, is the son of the late Harunur Rashid.
During the operation, BGB personnel recovered 15 pieces of Yaba and one gram of heroin from their possession.
The BGB subsequently handed over both detainees to Meherpur Sadar Police Station.
Following the completion of required legal procedures, police produced them in court, which ordered them to be sent to jail.
The arrest of a public sector employee with illegal narcotics has sparked intense discussion within the local administration and the department.
Questions have also been raised regarding why administrative measures were not initiated earlier despite his week-long unauthorised absence.
Commenting on the matter, Wahed Hasan, Sub-Assistant Engineer at the Meherpur Sadar Upazila Public Health Department, confirmed that Jhantu had been absent for seven days and remained unreachable despite repeated attempts.
He stated that once the absence reaches 10 days, a show-cause notice will be issued to Jhantu and the matter will be formally reported to higher authorities.
Humayun Kabir, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Meherpur Sadar Police Station, confirmed that the BGB handed over the two individuals to the police station yesterday, after which they were sent to jail through the court following required legal formalities.
