Tahirlpur (Sunamganj) Correspondent

Police have arrested Sohag, a notorious inter-upazila drug dealer and accused in multiple criminal cases including kidnapping, along with his two associates from Tahirpur upazila. The arrestees were produced before a court today and subsequently sent to district jail.

The arrestees have been identified as Sohag, son of the late Jalal from Modergaon village under North Badaghat union; Ruel, son of Akkal Ali; and Nuruzzaman Moyna, son of Motiur, both residents of Mollapara village. Sohag is the son of the late Badaghat UP Chairman Jalal and the cousin of Tahirpur Upazila Jubo League Joint Convener Rayhan Uddin Ripon.

Confirming the arrests, Tahirpur Police Station OC Faruk Ahmed stated that Sohag is a top drug dealer in the inter-upazila region and a habitual drug user. He has been facing four pending cases in court since 2015, with charges ranging from hijacking and attempted murder to violent clashes.

According to the case files and local residents—including Azizur Rahman Kawsar of Barhal village, Khokon of Mollapara, and Sajjad of Sohala—Sohag had been running his illicit drug trade across the upazila for over a decade. Residents alleged that he operated with impunity, leveraging the political influence of his brother, the Jubo League leader.

On Monday night, locals cordoned off an abandoned house in Mollapara where Sohag and his associates were gathered to trade and consume drugs. Upon learning that the police had been informed, the suspects managed to flush a shipment of approximately 200 to 300 pieces of yaba tablets down the toilet. Before the police arrived, Sohag also reportedly threatened the locals with physical assault and retaliatory lawsuits.

SI Moniruzzaman Sajal, In-charge of the Badaghat Police Investigation Centre and the complainant of the case, stated that Sohag is recognized as a key coordinator of the local drug trade. "Hearing news of our arrival, the suspects disposed of the yaba consignment inside a toilet while being held by the locals," he said. SI Sajal added that an active investigation is underway to identify and apprehend other members of the drug distribution network.