Over 20,000 ‘KNF’ uniforms seized from Chattogram warehouse, say police

Police say the garments were recovered in a drive on May 18 following a tip-off

Police have reported the seizure of 20,300 garments made for members of the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), an armed organisation operating in the Chattogram Hill Tracts, from a ready-made garment factory warehouse.

The garments were recovered from the warehouses of Ringvo Apparels in Neyarhat and Muzaffarnagar at Bayezid Bostami.

Police arrested three individuals over the incident in a case filed with Bayezid Bostami Police Station.

According to the case, the uniforms belong to members of KNF, otherwise known as the Bawm Party.

Although the raid was conducted in the wee hours of May 18, police made the matter public on Sunday.

The arrestees are Shahedul Islam, 25, owner of Ringvo Apparels, Golam Azam, 41, and Niaz Haider, 39.

On May 18, Sub-Inspector (SI) Md Iqbal Hossain of the North-South Division of the city detective police filed a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act at Bayezid Bostami Police Station, accusing four people.

Attempts were made to contact Chattogram Metropolitan Police Commissioner Hasib Aziz, chief of Bayezid Bostami police, and several detective branch officers for their statements, but those went unanswered.

According to the case dossier and a copy of the seizure list, detective police conducted a raid based on a tip-off. Police arrested Shahedul in Bayezid Bostami, and Golam and Niaz in Halishahar.

“Following information provided by [arrestees], a total of 20,300 garments, including 320 sacks, were seized from the warehouse of Ringvo Apparels located in Muzaffarnagar, and 260 sacks from the factory in Neyarhat,” the document said.