Bangladesh Railway locomotive master arrested with 16kg of cannabis in Akhaura

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Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-9) personnel arrested a locomotive engineer on charges of drug trafficking after discovering over 15 kilograms of cannabis hidden inside a freight train at Akhaura Railway Junction in Brahmanbaria. The suspect, 54-year-old Mohammad Shahjahan, a resident of Noakhali’s Begumganj upazila, was taken into custody late Thursday night.

The operation was launched following intelligence reports suggesting that a Dhaka-bound container train originating from the Gunabati Railway Station in Comilla was being used to transport illicit substances. Upon the train’s arrival at the Akhaura junction, an elite RAB team conducted a search with the formal authorization and presence of the station master.

While officers were boarding the train, Shahjahan attempted to flee the scene but was quickly apprehended. During questioning, the engineer confessed to concealing contraband within the locomotive. Authorities subsequently recovered 15.7 kilograms of cannabis and a bottle of banned Eskuf cough syrup from a white plastic sack stored behind the train’s engine. Witnesses reported that the train’s assistant engineer managed to escape during the confusion of the search.

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According to RAB-9 Company Commander Mohammad Nurunnabi, the suspect admitted to procuring the drugs from border areas in Brahmanbaria with the intent to distribute them across various regions of the country. Following the arrest, the suspect was handed over to the Akhaura Railway Police, where a formal case has been filed against him.

Officer-in-Charge of Akhaura Railway Police, Abdul Kuddus, confirmed that the suspect is now in police custody. Following the incident, railway authorities deployed a replacement engineer to ensure the freight train continued to its destination without further disruption.