Staff Correspondent, Ctg

Three law enforcers were suspended after a female yaba peddler fled from police custody at Patiya Police Station under Chattogram district early yesterday.

The three suspended police members are: Assistant Sub-Inspector Samsuddin, and constables Riaj and Mamtaj.

“The three were suspended for their negligence in duty, as a drug peddler managed to flee from their custody after arrest,” Additional Superintendent of Police Afruzul Haque Tutul told The Daily Star.

Chattogram Metropolitan Police sources said Patiya police arrested a drug peddler named Laiju Begum from the post office area of Patiya on Friday noon.

She was coming from Cox’s Bazar, carrying yaba pills in her abdomen, they added.

“After detaining her, we confirmed that she was carrying the pills through an X-ray,” said the official.

“The accused was then given medicine prescribed by doctors, and 1,900 yaba pills were seized from her later,” the additional superintendent of police told this correspondent.

The police official added, “Afterwards, she was taken to the interrogation room just beside the officer-in-charge’s room at the police station.”

“She was kept under police custody with two constables keeping watch on her,” he said.

“Around midnight, the accused said she wanted to use the bathroom. After going to the toilet, she fled through the vent of the toilet, dodging the on-duty police personnel,” ASP Tutul said.

Asked why the accused was not kept in the female lockup after arrest, Tutul said, “The question paper of ongoing SSC examination was kept at the female lockup for security purposes.”

For that reason, they had to keep the accused with police constables inside the interrogation room, the police official added.

“We are trying to arrest the accused and find out if she had any accomplice,” he added.

A drug case was lodged with the police station in this connection.