Investigation of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police found that two brothers of former Awami League MP Abdur Rahman Bodi are godfathers in drug trade in Coxs Bazar.
They made huge wealth, including land, houses and cars, by trafficking narcotics, the CID investigation revealed.
The two brothers are Abdus Shukur and Aminur Rahman.
The CID identified ten people who became godfathers in the drug trade, said unit chief and Additional Inspector General of Police Mohammad Ali Mia at a media briefing in the capital on Wednesday.
Responding to a question about Bodis brothers, Ali said, "The investigation against them is still underway. More assets are being found in their names."
Bodi served as a Coxs Bazar-4 MP for two terms from 2008 to 2018 before getting elected as Chairman of the Teknaf Municipality in 2002. The names of 10 people, including Bodi, his brothers, brothers-in-law, uncles and nephews, appeared in a list prepared by the Narcotics Control Department in 2014.
Akhter Kamal, a relative of Bodi who reportedly died in a gunfight with law enforcement agencies during an anti-drug crackdown in 2018, was a member of Ward No. 3 of Teknaf Upazilas Sabrang Union council. He was wanted in five cases related to human and drug trafficking.
Ruling Awami League nominated Bodis wife Shahin Akter in the 2018 general election amid backlash against Bodi, whose name frequently appeared in connection with the drug trade. Shahin was also elected as an MP in the 12th general election. The CID began to investigate a total of 35 drug cases after 2020. The total amount of the assets of the godfathers named in these cases is about Tk 1.78 billion, the police unit said.
"In three cases out of 35, a total of 9.18 acres of land, two houses worth Tk 80 million owned by the accused godfathers have been seized following a court order. Around Tk 10 million deposited by them in banks has also been frozen in a money-laundering case.
Efforts are underway to seize another 35 acres of land worth Tk 370 million, 12 houses and a car," Ali said.
On average, around 80,000 drug cases are filed in Bangladesh each year. Around 79,675 drug cases were filed in 2021, 82,672 in 2022 and 76,403 in 2023, the CID chief said, citing data of police headquarters.
