From cop to drug trader

He liked having yaba. And it was cheap too. He knew a lot of people like him were addicted to the crazy pills. He saw the potential of making a lot of money that too very quickly if he started trading the drug instead of just consuming.

And he was in a unique position that would, to the very least, would raise no suspicion, or so he thought.

But 45-year-old sub-inspector Atiqul Islam got caught during a raid on June 15 last year, read a charge sheet, which sub-inspector Golam Kibria of Mohammadpur Police Station filed with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka on November 29.

The media did not notice anything then.

"… police arrested Atiqul and his friend Rezaur Rob from Shahjahan Road area in the capital's Mohammadpur and recovered 11,600 yaba pills and Tk 5.25 lakh from their possession," the charge sheet read.

Even though he was posted in Bandarban, Atiqul frequented Adabar and Mohammadpur areas as he had friends there. He had been the second officer of Mohammadpur Police Station.

According to the case documents, Atiqul, in 2019, got acquainted to Rob, another yaba addict. They became friends. Rob was unemployed and was keen on getting into drug dealing with Atiqul as partner.

They had a connection that could help them get the pills.

Atiqul met drug dealer Salahuddin when he was the in-charge of Sonarpara check-post in Cox's Bazar, the investigator said in his probe report. The SI used to buy the pills from Salahuddin for his own consumption then.

When Atiqul approached Salahuddin for getting the pills in bulk at a low price, Salahuddin introduced the SI to Abdul Mazed, a boatman who smuggles the pills into Cox's Bazar from Myanmar, according to the charge sheet.

Salahuddin became the middle man.

Salahuddin and Mazed came to Dhaka several times to deliver the drugs to SI Atiqul, the probe report said.

With his supply chain figured out, Atiqul started selling the drug to dealers in the capital. The investigation officer found at least four dealers -- Humayun Ahmed, Hasan, Shakil and Shahidul -- to whom the SI sold yaba pills.

According to Bandarban district police, Atiqul was suspended soon after his arrest.

"On January 1, 2019, Atiqul joined Bandarban court as CSI. But he did not work there after taking leave on March 23 last year," said Md Monirul Islam, court inspector of Bandarban.

"A departmental investigation is underway … ," Monirul said.

Dhaka University's criminology department Prof Ziaur Rahman told The Daily Star, "Initially, the dope test system is very effective to prevent the law enforcers from narcotics use, but it should be done regularly."

Severe punishment must be taken against those law enforcers involved in narcotics trade and drug use, Ziaur added.