Two jailed, one fined; 4 trawlers seized

A mobile court jailed two people and fined another on charge of illegally taking earth from the bank of the Patabunia River in Baher Char area of Dumki upazila under the district on Friday night.

Police also seized four trawlers used for carrying the stolen earth in the area.

Of the convicts, Nasir Gazi, 30, and Dulal Khan, 28, were awarded one-year imprisonment each while and Abdur Rob Sikder, 45, was fined Tk 50,000 or to serve one year in jail in case of failure.

They hail from different villages under Dumki upazila.

Rob Sikder was freed after paying the fine and Nasir and Dulal were sent to Patuakhali Central Jail yesterday morning, said Azam Khan Faruquee, officer in charge (OC) of Dumki Police Station.

A police team led by the OC conducted a drive in the area and arrested three people when they were stealing earth from there around 6:00pm on Friday.

Sensing the presence of law enforcers, several others involved in the illegal act fled away, leaving four trawlers on the spot.

Later police produced the three arrestees before the mobile court led by Executive Magistrate Md Hafizur Rahman, also upazila nirbahi officer of Dumki, and the court delivered the judgment.

A gang is involved in stealing earth from Baher Char area on the bank of the Patabunia River and selling it to different brick fields at Kalaskathi in Bakerganj upazila under Barisal district for long, posing threat of erosion in the area, the OC said.