Four men, including a Rohingya, have been sentenced to death by a Cox’s Bazar court for their involvement in the trafficking of 1.3 million yaba tablets. Each of the convicts was also fined Tk 50,000.
According to bdnews24.com, District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Ismail delivered the verdict on Wednesday, according to Cox’s Bazar Public Prosecutor Faridul Alam.
The convicts were identified as Mohammad Awaz, 34, a Rohingya from the Balukhali-13 refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar’s Ukhiya, Mohammad Billal, 37, Md Azimullah, 43, and Abul Kalam, 37.
Awaz and Billal were in the dock to hear the verdict, but the other two suspects were on the run, said state lawyer Faridul.
A RAB team detained Awaz and Billal on a fishing trawler in a river near the Khurshukul Bridge in the town on the night of Aug 23, 2020. Four or five others in the boat fled when they saw the law enforcers.
“The trawler was searched and 1.3 million yaba tablets and Tk 10,000 in cash were found.”
RAB-15 officer Md Harun Rashid filed a case with the local police, naming the two suspects and four or five other unnamed suspects under the Narcotics Control Act.
“Awaz and Billal confessed to the court under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure,” said Faridul. “They named Azimullah and Abul Kalam and gave their addresses during their confessions."
RAB-15 Sub-Inspector Mohammad Sohel Sikdar, the investigation officer in the case, filed charges against them on Jun 10, 2021.