The special teams formed in the country's southwestern zone have so far failed to make any headway in the hunt for the outlawed PBCP's Khulna Division leader Abdur Rashid Tapan.

Comrades of Tapan snatched him from police custody at noon on January 26 from the court corridor of District Judge, Khulna.

Neither Tapan nor any of the armed cadres involved in the daredevil act could be arrested despite launching of combing operations being led by a deputy commissioner of Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP).

Meanwhile, discontent among personnel at Boyra Police Lines is growing after constables Ayub Ali and Al Amin were re-arrested on Thursday and taken on a three-day remand for questioning.

"We are being axed by our bosses who are trying to save GRO Pronob Das from the charge of being one of the masterminds

behind the conspiracy to help Tapan escape from the court," said one constable. They hinted at involvement of political and police big shots.

"We are being confined for not speaking the truth. Rather, we are being pressed to suppress the fact," said another police constable.

GRO Pronob Das has been confined inside a separate room of Boyra Police Lines barrack. He has been asked not to move out of the room unless permitted by the higher authorities of the KMP.

Sources at the Boyra Police Lines said Pronob is being told to cook up a story about the escape of Tapan to save the police commissioner who was responsible for necessary security measures when the accused in SMA Rob murder case were produced before the court on January 26.

He should be punished like GRO Pronob and four other police personnel on charge of negligence of duty, said some constables, who expressed their dissatisfaction at the way the case is now being han-

dled.

Meanwhile, Chandana Chakravarty, wife of condemned prisoner and alleged PBCP terrorist Bitu Chakravarty, has divulged crucial information to the investigation officer of the case about the plan to snatch Tapan from police custody.

She has named the armed cadres involved in the incident and others including some high police officials, who reportedly masterminding the plan.

Tapan cannot take such a high risk of escaping from a well-fortified judge's court building in broad daylight without the help of big shots at the KMP and district police, said Chandana today. She has been taken on a remand at Khulna thana custody.

She also said Tapan has not fled the country, a fact which the police also know. "But take it for granted that he (Tapan) won't be caught again due to obvious reasons," Chandana said.