Drug Peddling
Female jail guard among 3 arrested
Rapid Action Battalion arrested a female guard of Dhaka Central Jail and her two accomplices on charges of peddling illegal drugs in and outside the jail on Wednesday.
The detainees are jail guard Nadira Begum Alo, 36, Shahnaz Begum, 28, of Sabujbagh, and Rumana Akhter, 30. Detainee Nadira is sister of the deputy jailer of Kashimpur Jail and sister-in-law of a bodyguard of the inspector general (IG) of prisons.
Nadira and Shahnaz were arrested at the residence of Atiqur Rahman, bodyguard of IG-Prisons, while Rumana at her home in Maniknagar.
After the Rab drive, the jail authorities suspended Nadira and transferred Atiqur Rahman to Mymensingh, said Golam Haider, deputy inspector general (DIG) of prisons in Dhaka division.
The Rab team recovered yaba tablets and heroin worth Tk 1.20 lakh from the detainees, said Rab-3 officials at a press briefing in Rab Tikatuli office.
According to the Rab officials, taking the advantage of being a jail guard and blessings of some high officials of the jail, Nadira had been carrying out illegal drug trade in and outside the jail.
Towhidul Islam, senior superintendent of Dhaka Central Jail, however, denied the allegation of drug peddling inside the prison saying Nadira had been involved in drug trade outside.
“I earlier recommended actions against her to the high officials of the prisons,” said Tawhidul Islam.
Jail sources said Nadira was arrested on charges of supplying cell phones to prisoners while she was posted in Kashimpur Jail in Gazipur in 1998. She was later transferred to Narayanganj Jail.
In 2009, after her sister and sister-in-law had been posted to Dhaka Central Jail, Nadira was also transferred to Dhaka.
Contacted over the cellphone yesterday evening, IG-Prisons Brig Gen Ashraful Islam Khan said he was busy with talking to the home minister and to contact him later. But despite repeated attempts afterwards, the IG-Prisons could not be reached.
-With The Daily Star input
