Police have recovered a hijacked covered van in Patiya, Chattogram, but 15 tonnes of sugar worth Tk16 lakh previously loaded on the vehicle remain missing.
Police have prepared to conduct a drive in Cox’s Bazar to recover the looted sugar. Inconsistencies have been found in the statements of the covered van driver and the sugar owner, said Chattogram Superintendent of Police Masud Alam.
The covered van was recovered at around 5:30pm on Wednesday in front of the newly constructed Karnafuli Upazila Parishad building on the Chattogram-Anwara road, adjacent to the Shikalbaha crossing of the Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar highway.
Unconscious driver rescued
Md Mahbub, sub-inspector of Patiya Police Station, said the last location of driver Alamgir’s mobile phone was tracked in the Vellapara area at around 11:30pm on Tuesday.
On Wednesday morning, he was rescued in an ill condition and admitted to Patiya Upazila Health Complex, where he is currently undergoing treatment under police custody. Md Mahbub added that based on secret information, police are on their way to Cox’s Bazar to recover the looted sugar.
Speaking to local journalists at Patiya Police Station on Wednesday, Masud Alam, superintendent of police of Chattogram district, said inconsistencies were being observed between the statements of the covered van driver and the sugar owner.
He noted that the entire matter is being deeply investigated, adding that while the covered van has been recovered, police are working to retrieve the looted sugar.
Earlier at around 9:15am on Wednesday, Abul Kalam Azad, driver of another Cox’s Bazar-bound covered van, rescued the ill driver Alamgir from the Badamtali area of Patiya and admitted him to Patiya Upazila Health Complex.
Abul Kalam Azad disclosed that he saw Alamgir unconscious while drinking tea at a roadside shop in Badamtali. When Alamgir regained partial consciousness, Azad took him to the hospital. According to driver Alamgir, he was rendered unconscious with a toxic injection.
Delivery route and timeline
The hijacked covered van, registered as Jessore-T-11-4657, was hired by Jahid Trade and Transport, a transport contracting firm located in the Siddhirganj area of Narayanganj.
Jakir Hossain, proprietor of the firm, explained that the vehicle was hired to transport 28 tonnes of sugar belonging to a trader in Khatunganj, Chattogram, from Meghna Sugar Mill at Meghnaghat.
On Tuesday evening, 13 tonnes of sugar were unloaded at the Fulkolli factory in Nasirabad, Chattogram, after which the vehicle was scheduled to deliver the remaining 15 tonnes of sugar to the Fulkolli factory in the Naikhain area of Patiya.
Jakir Hossain mentioned that he spoke with driver Alamgir at around 11:00 pm on Tuesday, when the driver informed him that the vehicle was parked in the Moijjartek area due to engine overheating.
The driver was supposed to fix the mechanical fault and proceed to the factory in Naikhain. However, at around 9am on Wednesday, Jakir learned from another driver that Alamgir had been admitted to hospital.
He also noted that there was no assistant driver or helper present in the covered van.
Drive under way in Cox’s Bazar
Sirajul Islam, a sugar supplier and trader based in Khatunganj, Chattogram, expressed suspicion regarding the role of the driver.
He said that after 13 tonnes of sugar were unloaded at the Nasirabad Fulkolli factory around 6pm on Tuesday, he spoke with the driver at night, during which the driver was offering various excuses and citing problems with the covered van.
Sirajul Islam said he visited Patiya Police Station on Wednesday afternoon to inquire about the progress of recovering the hijacked vehicle and sugar, where the district superintendent of police also arrived and gave necessary directions to the police team.
He added that while at the station, information was received that a trader in Cox’s Bazar had purchased some sugar at a low price, which police suspect might be the looted sugar.
A police team is heading to Cox’s Bazar to execute a drive, and Sirajul Islam is accompanying them. He claimed that the estimated market value of the hijacked 15 tonnes of sugar is approximately Tk 16 lakh.
