Thursday, October 9, 2025

A millionaire veg vendor

A vegetable vendor turned drug dealer did very well for 14 years but yesterday he finally got arrested along with his wife. The couple owns a four-storey building in Narayanganj, several flats in Dhaka, and an array of motor vehicles. The vendor is not your average shabjiwala (vegetables monger) you see on the streets or in bazaars. He is special. He just sells vegetables as cover. His real business is smuggling the banned drug Phensidyle to Dhaka from India.
Hailing from Homna upazila in Comilla, Sana Ullah, 35, and his wife Rashida Akhter, 31, had been running the Phensidyle business for the last 14 years maintaining a 15-member gang.
Detective Branch (DB) personnel arrested them and nine members of the gang at Khilgaon in the capital with 3,200 bottles of Phensidyle, their truck, their car and a CNG-run auto-rickshaw yesterday.
Hours after the arrest, they revealed to the law enforcers how they became so successful over the years.
Talking to The Daily Star at the DB office, the detained couple narrated various techniques of smuggling of the drug to Dhaka through the border dodging the eyes of the border guards of both countries and the law enforcers in Bangladesh.
Sana Ullah said over the years they supplied Phensidyle to Dhaka from the bordering areas of Satkhira and Jessore on his truck. They brought the drug to Dhaka hiding them in fish fry containers and under perishable vegetables.
“We used the cover of fish fry too fool the law enforcers. The fry may die if there were delays on the way. That is why police do not stop fish fry carrying trucks for too long,” Sana Ullah said, adding, “Perishable vegetables like tomatoes were also used as cover for the same reason.”
He said they have local agents in the bordering areas of Satkhira and Jessore who pay the Indian traders in advance to buy the drugs. He claimed that local agents include chairmen and members of several union parishads in Benapole of Jessore and Debhata in Satkhira.
He said, “The local agents appoint a number of people, mainly women and children, who cross the border with 100-bottle shipments of Phensidyle by swimming across rivers and canals or through forests and fields.”
Replying to a query, Sana Ullah said he eventually became rich and the owner of a four-storey building at Mijmiji of Siddhirganj in Narayanganj, flats in the capital, two microbuses, a car, three CNG-run auto-rickshaws, a truck with the money he made from this business.
His wife Rashida said her husband was a vegetable vendor from 1993 to 1998. He joined the smuggling business with the help of one Faruq, now absconding. She herself got involved in 2000.
“After the Phensidyle reaches the capital, I supply them to different spots with our car and the law enforcers do not suspect me since I am a woman,” Rashida said.
Mashiur Rahman, Senior Assistant Commissioner of DB, who led the drive to arrest them, said Sana Ullah’s gang has been supplying around 10,000 bottles of Phensidyle to Dhaka every week.
He said Sana was arrested three times before but he got out on bail and resumed his activity. His wife used to run the business when he was away in jail.
He said they produced the 11 detainees before a Dhaka court seeking 10-day remands for each of them but the court granted only one day in remand.
The other detainees are Jasim Uddin, 27, Liton Hossain, 30, Mohammad Ahsan, 31, Mohar Ali, 28, Osman Gani, 28, Mosharraf Hossain, 32, Yiasin Arafat alias Russell, 26, Mohammad Ishaq, 25, and Mohammad Zakaria, 22.

-With The Daily Star input

Related News

Bangladesh and KSA sign pact for workers’ rights

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia have just inked a labour recruitment agreement, marking the first deal aimed at promoting fair recruitment practices and protecting workers’ rights. Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Adviser, Prof. Asif Nazrul, and the Saudi Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, Engineer Ahmad Bin Solaiman Al-Rajhi, recently came ... Read more

Poor pay, allowances of teachers affect education

World Teacher’s Day today Shahin Akhter Poor pay-scale and allowances and low social status mark the poor condition of the teachers in Bangladesh affecting the education sector, observed educationists and researchers. They also said that the Bangladeshi teachers were lagging much behind their fellows even in the neighbouring countries in terms of these facilities and ... Read more

Protecting hilsa: 22-day fishing ban begins

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The government has put a 22-day halt on catching, transporting, storing, selling, and marketing hilsa throughout the country. This measure aims to protect the fish during its crucial breeding season. The ban started at midnight yesterday and will last until October 25, as stated in a notification from the Ministry of ... Read more

Road fatalities: 446 crashes, 417 lives lost in September

News Desk : dhakamirror.com In September, a tragic report from the Road Safety Foundation revealed that at least 417 people lost their lives and 682 were injured in 446 road accidents throughout Bangladesh. Among those who died, there were 63 women and 47 children, as highlighted in the foundation’s monthly report released today. In 151 ... Read more

Man’s fatal fall into Ramna Park lake

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A tragic incident occurred yesterday at Ramna Park in the capital, where a man drowned in the lake. The victim has been identified as 55-year-old Wasimul Haq. The police were able to identify him using fingerprint records. According to Ramna police SI Mizanur Rahman, he was discovered unconscious around 6:00 PM ... Read more

Tariff Commission’s size-based hilsa pricing strategy

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission (BTTC), also known as the Tariff Commission, has suggested setting a maximum retail price for hilsa based on its size. This recommendation comes in response to the unusual spike in prices seen in the local market. On Sunday, the Tariff Commission released a report detailing ... Read more

Ekushey Book Fair won’t happen in December

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangla Academy announced yesterday (28 September), that the previously scheduled dates for the Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2026 have been postponed. In a press release, they explained that this decision was made following a directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs on September 21, which indicated that the fair should ... Read more

Working in Bangladesh is quite challenging: CEC

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Election Commission is grappling with a mix of challenges, both seen and unseen, as it gears up for the upcoming elections and responds to various demands, shared chief election commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin on Saturday. “These hurdles might not be apparent from the outside, but we’re constantly navigating through them,” ... Read more

Travel ban on Keokradong hill to be lifted starting from 1 October

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Great news for travelers! Keokradong hill in Bandarban’s Ruma upazila is set to welcome tourists again starting October 1. The district administration has finally lifted the travel ban that had been in effect for almost three years. Bandarban Deputy Commissioner (DC) Shamim Ara Rini announced the decision today (27 September) during ... Read more

Tree planting campaign to lower pollution, make city more attractive

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Administrator Md Shahjahan Mia has inaugurated a tree plantation and greening programme covering 33 road medians, spanning a total length of 31 kilometres, within the corporation’s jurisdiction. Under the “Zero Soil” programme, ornamental flowering trees and grasses will be planted across 28 DSCC medians, while the ... Read more

Krishi Bank ranks third in remittance collection

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Krishi Bank has shown remarkable success in collecting remittances from expatriates during the first eight months of 2025 (January–August). Known as bank for farmers due to its agricultural loan services, this state-owned institution has climbed to the third position in remittance collection from abroad in that timeframe. This notable achievement has ... Read more

North Bay low : Rain forecast for Bangladesh

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Many parts of the country is expected to witness moderate to heavy and very heavy rainfall in the coming days due to the formation of a low-pressure system over the north Bay and adjoining coastal areas, the Met office said in its latest forecast. According to Bangladesh Meteorological Department’s 120-hour weather ... Read more

Metrorail boosts service: Extended hours & more frequent arrivals

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Dhaka metrorail service is set to start operating earlier in the morning and later at night to better serve the growing number of passengers. Service hours will be extended by 30 minutes at both the beginning and end of the day, and the interval between trains will be reduced by nearly ... Read more

22% minors in Bangladesh’s sex trade

News Desk : dhakamirror.com At least 22 percent of victims of commercial sexual exploitation (abuse of a person, or a minor, through sexual activities in exchange for money, goods, or other benefits) in Bangladesh are children, said speakers at an event yesterday. They shared the information at the launch of “Project Shurakkha”, an initiative of ... Read more

WB Reports Bangladesh Heat Costs at $1.78 Billion in 2024

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Rising temperatures in Bangladesh are fueling a surge in heat-related illnesses, leading to the loss of 250 million workdays in 2024 and economic losses estimated at $1.33–1.78 billion, representing about 0.3 to 0.4 percent of Bangladesh’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024, according to a new World Bank report. The report ... Read more

Police clearance no longer required for passports

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus announced that police verification will no longer be necessary for obtaining a passport, thereby reducing unnecessary hassle for citizens. “Getting a passport is a basic right. We have established a rule that eliminates the need for police verification,” he stated. While speaking at the opening session ... Read more

Metro rail achieves record 4 lakh daily passengers

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Metro Rail has achieved a remarkable milestone by carrying over 400,000 passengers in a single day. The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), which operates the Metro Rail, announced this achievement on their official Facebook page on Friday night. For the first time, Metro Rail recorded 403,164 passengers. The Metro Rail ... Read more

Most people, about 66% think civil servants behave as if they are rulers

News Desk : dhakamirror.com More than 100,000 participants have contributed their responses to reform commission’s online survey 80% of the respondents believe that the administration is not approachable for the general public, according to a survey conducted by the Public Administration Reform Commission. Additionally, 66% of participants feel that civil servants act as if they ... Read more

Former Justice Abdur Rouf dies

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Former Chief Election Commissioner Justice Md Abdur Rouf has passed away at the age of 91. He died around 10:00 am while receiving treatment at Insaf Barakah Kidney and General Hospital in Dhaka, as stated in a press release. Justice Rouf had been battling heart disease, lung complications, kidney issues, and ... Read more

Bangladesh climbed 4 positions to rank 93rd in global passport index

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh has climbed four notches up in the latest Henley Passport Index 2025, ranking 93rd out of 99. However, the number of visa-free destinations for Bangladeshi passport holders has dropped from 42 in 2024 to 39 this year, reflecting a decline in global travel privileges. Despite this improvement in rank — ... Read more