Prisoner runs drugs ring from Chattogram jail: Police

For Chattogram Central Jail inmate Hamka Nur Alam, imprisonment has hardly been a deterrent to crime as he keeps casting a sinister shadow over the city.

Implicated in 20 cases, including arms dealing, robbery and terrorism, Hamka Nur now runs a drug trading network from inside the prison, aided by prison guards, according to police.

Police extracted the information from prison guard Saiful Islam, 22, who was detained from the port city's Kadamtali flyover on Saturday with 50 yaba pills.

Three other miscreants – Didarul Alam Masum, 35, Azizul Islam Jalal, 36, and Alo Begum, 35 – were detained on Saturday, based on Saiful's account.

The detainees have also admitted to providing Saiful with yaba and cannabis on the instructions of Hamka Nur, who used to pay for the drugs from prison.

According to Saiful, he collected 50 yaba tablets from Masum. He was on his way to supply 10 pills to a dealer at the Halishohor grocery market area when he was apprehended by law enforcers.

He was due to hand over the rest to Hamka Nur. 

Citing the detainees, Kotwali Police OC Mohammed Mohsin said, “Masum was arrested before and served time in prison in the past. There, he met Nur Alam and using that connection, Masum used to regularly supply inmate Nur Alam with yaba tablets. And this trading was carried out through prison guard Saiful.”

Hamka Nur Alam, who was arrested two years back, is a top listed criminal who has been operating a criminal outfit called ‘Hamka Group’ in Chattogram city, according to police.   

“Hamka Nur Alam is being kept at Chattogram Central Prison’s cell 32. He had been trading drugs both inside and outside the prison from there,” said a senior official of Chattogram Metropolitan Police to bdnews24.com.