Dismissed Former Army Member and Wife Arrested in Barishal With 2,035 Yaba Tablets

Police have detained a dismissed former army member and his wife with 2,035 yaba tablets in separate raids in Barishal city. They were detained on Friday in raids in the city's Bogura Road and Kashipur areas.

The information was given by Lutfor Rahman, inspector (investigation) of Kotwali Model Police Station. According to him, the two raids were carried out on the same day in two separate areas, and yaba and cash were recovered from the two places combined.

The two detained are Bellal Hossain Ratul, 28, of Biharipur village in Bakerganj upazila, and his wife Lamia Akter, 26. Both were found as accused in the police operation.

Police said the first raid was carried out in front of Salam Cycle Store on Bogura Road, acting on secret information. Ratul and Lamia were detained there with 235 yaba tablets.

A second raid was then carried out at a rented house on Kashipur Fishery Road, based on information they provided. A search there recovered another 1,800 yaba tablets and Tk 100,000 in cash. The two raids together brought the total to 2,035 tablets.

Inspector Lutfor Rahman said Ratul had previously served in the army. He was dismissed on allegations of involvement in drug use and selling. Police claim he became involved in drug selling afterwards.

According to police, there are multiple drug cases against them. In other words, this is not the first allegation against them; the new detention has come in continuation of earlier cases.

Lutfor Rahman also said police had detained Ratul with yaba last March as well. A charge sheet in that case has been submitted to court against him.

In this latest incident, two separate cases have been filed at Kotwali and Airport police stations under Barishal Metropolitan Police. Ratul and his wife have been named as accused in both cases.

The two cases were filed at two stations because the two raids took place in different areas. One raid was in the Kotwali area and the other in Kashipur under Airport Police Station, which is why the cases were split, according to police sources.

After the arrests, attention will now be on the legal process. How far the investigations in the two cases progress and what the court decides about them will be known in the next stage.