3 cops fall sick after drinking water, samples sent for testing

Three police officers fell ill after drinking water from a storage tank at a temporary police camp in the Alinagar area of Jangal Salimpur, Sitakunda, on Sunday morning.

According to police, the officers noticed white foam in their drinking water around 7:00 a.m. but initially ignored it and consumed some of the water. They later detected a strong chemical-like odor and soon became ill.

Sitakunda Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Mohinul Islam said the camp receives drinking water through a pipeline connected to a nearby house. Authorities suspect that a toxic substance may have entered the water supply, although it remains unclear how or by whom. An investigation is underway.

Following the incident, water samples were collected and sent to a laboratory for analysis. The remaining water in the tank was discarded, and the tank was thoroughly cleaned. Police said the affected officers are now out of danger, though their identities have not been disclosed.

Jangal Salimpur, located off the Bayezid�"Faujdarhat connecting road near the Asian University for Women, consists mainly of the Chinnamul and Alinagar areas. The district administration says the area includes around 3,100 acres of khas land and was long controlled by land grabbers and armed groups.

On March 9, law enforcement agencies regained control of the area through a joint operation involving about 3,200 personnel from the army, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and police. Previous attempts to establish control had failed, with officers reportedly coming under attack during earlier operations.