Khulna railway station
A safe haven for �smugglers�
STAFF REPORTER, Khulna
Several strong syndicates have long been allegedly smuggling goods through Khulna railway station as a safe route to supply drugs and others products to the southern region of the country, while the station has been getting more unsafe for the passengers. The on-duty railway employees prefer smugglers than passengers of Khulna station, it is alleged. Smuggling is going on almost unabated with the help of train attendants, GRP, even on-duty ticket collectors and guards, sources said.
If sometimes passengers obstruct their activities they along with railway staff are assaulted and harassed. Sometimes, altercation arises between passengers and GRP men. The loading of the smuggled goods into and unloading the same from the trains that touch the Khulna railway station has become a daily common feature. Even the passengers traveling through the station always feel insecure due to menace of pickpockets, Malam parties and Tana parties.
Very often members of RAB and BGB conduct raids in trains and recover a huge quantity of smuggled goods. Nevertheless, the raids neither curb smuggling nor stop the smugglers from smuggling goods and drugs. But only makes the journey of passenger through these trains uncomfortable.
According to the sources, the trains passengers and goods carrying ones are stuffed with Indian goods. The goods include Indian contraband phensidyl, contraband medicines, clothes, steel materials, powder milk, cosmetic, spices of different categories, heroin, sex-inducing tablets including yaba, opium and imitation jewellery. There has been invoice of illegal arms. The sources said some persons of rail gate area are the ringleaders of the smuggling syndicate who were dominating the Khulna railway station. They are helping in the act of smuggling.
Another sources said, a good number of traders are controlling the smuggling syndicate. These traders carry the smuggled goods to different places across the country. It is alleged that smuggler in collusion with a section of dishonest GRP
police on duty in the Khulna railway station is earning much through creating scope for
smuggling. They have reportedly a gang for
releasing the bribe. Sources added, at the end of the month a major portion of the bribe money is sent to the GRP officials.
Men of different professions of the railway station area on condition of anonymity said, the law and order of the area is deteriorating due to the inaction of GRP and police members of Khulna sadar thana. Beggars, hawkers, subscription collectors men and women carrying goods from the station aggravate the situation. They said, just after sun set, vendors of heroin, hemp, phensidyl and other drugs begin prowling in length and breadth of the railway station area. They silently approach the passengers to sell these drugs. The pickpockets, thugs and hoodlums also roam about the station at night and fall on the passengers at the opportune moment to rob of them of their money and other belongings.
The Sheikhpara, Kadomtala and Barmashel areas in the city have earned notoriety as the safe haven for the sale and purchase of the smuggled goods.
Khulna railway station master Kazi Amirul Islam said that there exists shortage of night guards at the railway station. Police or Ansar is not posted at the railway station. As a result, the passengers are suffering from insecurity.
Officer-in-Charge of Khulna sadar thana Sukumar Biswas said they often operate raids in vulnerable areas and arrested a number of drug peddlers. He also claimed that they deploy their petrol team in the area to ensure the security of the passengers.
