A classic tale of gang rivalry
The infamous Barisal Colony, near the Chittagong Railway Station, has been a narcotics hotspot of the port city for the better part of three decades. Two groups have been taking turns controlling the business here, in a classic tale of gang rivalry and organised crime. After yesterday's first part on the drug trade scene amid the nationwide drive, the second installment of the special report looks into the 'history' of the clashes and whereabouts of the gangs' current top dogs.
According to sources, one Rafiq introduced the illicit business in the Barisal Colony area in 1990 and controlled the drug trade, in a syndicate with Monir, Faruk, Salamat, Yusuf, "Honda" Bahar and "CNG" Jasim.
Yusuf was the manager of the drug cartel, said the sources.
Around a decade ago, Monir and Faruk ousted Rafiq to take over the drug business. After a few years, conflicts ensued between Monir and Faruk's factions.
During that time, drug dealers Belal, Bahar and Nayon joined the Monir gang, while Salamat and Nasir joined the Faruk gang.
Nayon was murdered as a result of the conflict in 2012.
Taking charge, manager Yusuf made his own syndicate and took control of a portion of the colony. In 2016, one of the group chiefs, Monir, "disappeared" from the colony mysteriously while Faruk drove out his men and took the charge of the whole area.
There were no visible tensions between the groups of Yusuf and Faruk, but that changed when both gangs tried to bring one Khusru to their respective gang.
Faruk, an importer of "yellow yaba", a new kind of yaba pills, was killed in a shootout with Rab on October 20 last year. After Faruk's killing, Yusuf again took the charge of the area.
Faruk's brother Sukkur has taken over his brother's business, in cooperation with Khusru.
Police officials said internal conflict has ensued among Faruk's wife Nilufar Aktar Nila, brother-in-law Md Rana and his brother Sukkur, to take control over the business.
Khasru is now behind the bar in Sylhet since November last year, said a police official, adding that Faruk's wife and Rana have joined Yusuf's syndicate, while Khusru and Sukkur have formed an alliance against them.
“Faruk's wife Nilufar is an accused of Monir murder case filed with Sadarghat Police Station,” the police station's Officer-in-Charge (OC) Nezam Uddin told The Daily Star.
Nezam said the trio arrested on Sunday -- Khokon Kumar Das, Md Hanif and Kazi Abdullah, are the men of Sukkur, and they were in Barisal Colony area with firearms, to take control of a portion of the area.
“We have information that Yusuf is now in India, and trying to control the business from there,” said OC Nezam.
Mosharraf, who was killed in a gunfight with Rab on last Thursday worked on behalf of Yusuf, Nasir and Salamat, said locals, adding that Nasir and Salamat fled the area after shootout.
OC Nezam said, “We came to learn that Khusru and Sukkur have taken control of the area with help of their men named Siraj, Raju, Malek, Shahjahan and others after the gunfight with Rab.”
Department of Narcotics Control and police officials said Yusuf is a top drug lord in the city; he is accused in at least 15 cases filed with different police stations.
“A team of 50 police personnel are deployed at Barisal Colony, so that no one can enter the area to take visible control.”
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