A case has finally been filed over the smuggling of construction materials to Myanmar using a forged permit from the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar.

Confirming the development, Teknaf Police Station OC Muhammad Giyas Uddin said,  on Friday night, a case was filed by an office assistant from the Upazila administration at Teknaf Police Station.

The case names eight accused, including the recently suspended in-charge of the St. Martin’s Tourism Information and Complaint Center, Asikur Rahman, who was appointed by the district administration, and a female Union Parishad (UP) member from St. Martin’s Island, Mahfuza Akter, who also serves as the president of the Tourism Information and Complaint Center. Additionally, eight unidentified individuals have been listed as accused in the case filed under the Special Powers Act, which alleges document forgery and smuggling of goods to Myanmar. “We will take swift legal action against those involved after completing the investigation,” said the OC.

Teknaf UNO  Sheikh Ehshan Uddin said , “A syndicate forged documents of the Upazila administration to smuggle cement and corrugated sheets to Myanmar. A case under the Special Powers Act has been lodged, and orders have been given to investigate and take action against the accused smugglers. A long-operating eight-member smuggling syndicate has been identified, and actions will be taken against them.”

The syndicate reportedly smuggled these construction materials from Teknaf to St. Martin’s Island on April 30 under the guise of an official permit and then trafficked them to Myanmar. Following reports by various media outlets, the district administration suspended Asikur Rahman, in-charge of the St. Martin’s Tourism Information and Complaint Center, on Friday morning. The case was filed later that night.

As St. Martin’s Island is an environmentally vulnerable coral island where construction is prohibited, transporting any construction materials via waterways requires prior legal permission from the Teknaf UNO. Recently, the district administration’s Tourism Information and Complaint Center on the island was damaged by rough weather, creating a need for repairs. The UNO visited St. Martin’s, and based on demands raised there, allocated funds under the Union Parishad’s Rural Infrastructure Maintenance (TR) Project for the renovation of the center.

Accordingly, on April 28, the Teknaf UNO issued a permit with nine conditions, authorizing the transport of nine bundles of corrugated tin, 70 feet of timber, 20 bags of cement, 30 cartons of tiles, and 300 feet of sand. The permit’s official memo number was 05.20.2290.000.09.14.25.817. Copies were sent to the Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner, the 2 BGB Commander in Teknaf, the Coast Guard station commanders in Teknaf and St. Martin’s, the BGB’s Teknaf BOP Company Commander, the Officer-in-Charge of Teknaf Police Station, the In-charge of St. Martin’s Police Outpost, and the Chairman of St. Martin’s Union.

However, the syndicate forged this official permit. On April 30, at the Keruntali ghat in Teknaf, the syndicate loaded construction materials onto a trawler owned by St. Martin’s resident Mohammad Alam. Although the original permit allowed the transport of specific quantities, additional unauthorized goods were loaded onto the vessel. A reporter obtained a copy of the forged permit, which upon inspection revealed discrepancies. The memo number, while appearing correct in most places, had two altered digits — with ‘817’ changed to ‘816’ in two instances. Moreover, while the list of authorized materials remained unchanged, the quantity of cement was fraudulently increased from 20 bags to 400 bags.

These trafficked goods were never delivered to the island but were instead smuggled to Myanmar, allegedly handed over to the Arakan Army.

Further investigations identified the eight-member smuggling syndicate behind the operation. This group has reportedly been smuggling food products, agricultural supplies, fertilizers, and construction materials to Myanmar through similar forgeries for a long time. The identified members include trawler owner Mohammad Alam, speedboat lineman Jahangir Alam, UP member Mahfuza Akter, government employee Asikur Rahman, UP member Akter Kamal, trawler master Nurul Islam, and Teknaf residents Kefayet Ullah and Abdul Monaf. On November 12 last year, this syndicate allegedly trafficked additional construction materials to Myanmar using two trawlers under the same scheme. Those trawlers, loaded with cement and steel rods en route to St. Martin’s from Teknaf, reportedly disappeared.