Mitford Market Raided
Fake, foreign medicine seized
As many as 103 people were detained, 28 shops sealed and over Tk 1.25 crore fined yesterday in a joint drive against fake and unauthorised medicine at Mitford in Old Dhaka, the country’s largest hub of wholesale medicine. The eight-hour-long drive that started at 10:00am was conducted by a mobile court, the Rapid Action Battalion, the Directorate General of Drug Administration and Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institution (BSTI).
Habibur Rahman, director of Rab’s media wing told The Daily Star that 20 of the detainees were sentenced to one year’s imprisonment while 80 cases were filed.
The rest of the detainees faced a fine or a three-month prison sentence.
“About Tk 5 crore worth of medicine was seized,” Habibur mentioned.
Sharif Md Forhad Hossain, magistrate of Rab-10, said, “About 500 shops and godowns in nine markets were checked.”
Some medicine traders scuffled with the Rab members during the drive.
Rab-10 Commanding Officer Lt Col Md Imran Ibne Abdur Rouf said, “Our members in plain clothes were standing near the exits of the market as part of our operations strategy.”
But when the traders heard about the mobile court’s arrival, those who sell fake medicine tried hurriedly to escape through one of the exits, he added.
“Jostled by a crowd of traders, a Rab member standing there fell and hurt himself on the collapsible gate of the market.”
Medicine traders told The Daily Star that import-banned medicine had been available at Mitford for a long time and that they sold those by bribing law enforcers. Therefore, some traders became angry that their shops were being raided even after they had paid bribes.
The traders claimed that it was because of the scuffle that such a large number of traders were detained.
“Some of these medicines are very effective and many doctors prescribe them so we bring them illegally,” said one of them.
-With The Daily Star input
