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Officials of the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) seized a bank cheque from the residence of a suspected drug dealer, Md. Romiz Uddin, arrested in Tongi, Gazipur, but failed to include it in the seizure list. The incident occurred during an operation in June, and the DNC has since removed four officials, including an assistant director, from their duties. The office of the assistant director, Marfia Afroze, who led the operation, has been sealed.On June 22, DNC intelligence officials arrested Md. Romiz Uddin near Tongi Government College with yaba pills. Subsequently, they searched his rented residence in South Kha Para, Tongi, recovering 15,000 yaba pills in two polybags. The suspect’s family alleged that the officials also took a bank cheque worth a substantial amount during the search. However, the cheque was not listed in the seizure inventory, which mentioned only the yaba pills and a mobile phone. According to sources, the family lodged a complaint with the DNC headquarters, prompting an investigation. Preliminary findings confirmed the allegations, leading to the removal of four officials involved in the operation on Wednesday night. They have been reassigned to the DNC headquarters. The office of Assistant Director Marfia Afroze, located at the Dhaka Divisional Intelligence Office in Gendaria, was sealed, and she was questioned regarding the incident. Marfia Afroze admitted that a bank cheque was among the items recovered but was not included in the seizure list. Sources indicate that the cheque was worth several lakhs of taka, and attempts were made to withdraw money using it. On Tuesday, senior DNC officials visited the Gendaria office and sealed Marfia Afroze’s office. She was on leave starting Thursday but was summoned for questioning due to the severity of the allegations. During questioning, she fell ill and was admitted to a private hospital. When contacted by Prothom Alo on Thursday, Marfia Afroze stated that a call detail record (CDR) list was found at the suspect’s residence, which she described as unusual. Regarding the bank cheque, she said, “The operation took place in June. On Thursday, Constable Sohel Rana noticed the bank cheque among the seized items and kept it in my office drawer. I’m new to the job and didn’t know what to do with it.” The operation involved eight DNC officials, including Marfia Afroze, Inspector Shahria Sharmin, Sub-Inspectors Abdul Al Mamun and Md. Jannatul Ferdous, Assistant Sub-Inspector Md. Ataul Haque, and Constables Sohel Rana, Abdur Rahman, Saimun Hasan Khan, and Md. Lutfar Rahman. However, only four—Marfia Afroze, Md. Jannatul Ferdous, Md. Ataul Haque, and Sohel Rana—were removed from their duties, prompting criticism from other DNC officials. They argued that if punishment is warranted, all eight should be held accountable, accusing the authorities of trying to protect four of them. Prothom Alo contacted the DNC headquarters in Segunbagicha on Thursday. Several senior officials did not respond to calls. The reporter then spoke with Md. Bashir Ahmed, Additional Deputy Inspector General and Director (Operations), via the reception’s phone. He declined to meet in person and advised contacting the DNC’s public relations officer for details. DNC Assistant Director (Public Relations) Mostak Ahmed told Prothom Alo that senior officials had conducted an unannounced inspection of Marfia Afroze’s office, where she was not present. As the seized items and overall case details were unsatisfactory, she was removed from her duties and reassigned to the headquarters. He added, “No institution will take responsibility for an individual’s crime. If anyone is found guilty, appropriate
