Narsingdi authorities launch probe into disappearance of municipal vehicles
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Authorities in Narsingdi’s Madhabdi municipality have launched a formal investigation into the mysterious disappearance of three municipal vehicles, including an ambulance, amid allegations that a local syndicate may have sold them off. Asma Jahan Sarkar, the municipality administrator and Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), confirmed that a five-member committee has been formed to probe the matter after the vehicles failed to return from repair shops.
The investigation began following public outcry on social media, which claimed that six government-owned municipal vehicles had gone missing. Acting on these reports, the district administration conducted a raid on July 10 at a garage in the Itakhola area of Shibpur, where they successfully recovered two dump trucks and a payloader. However, two additional trucks and an ambulance remain unaccounted for.
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According to municipal officials, the vehicles were originally damaged during the July uprising. Following the political transition on August 5, the fleet was dispatched to various garages for repairs. While the recovery of the first three vehicles brought initial relief, the continued absence of the remaining units prompted suspicions of foul play.
The complexity of the situation is compounded by conflicting accounts from garage operators and municipal staff. Taijul Islam, the owner of the Itakhola garage, stated that five non-functional vehicles were sent to his shop during the tenure of former mayor Mosharraf Hossain. He claims that while two vehicles were reclaimed after repairs, the remaining three were left behind with unpaid invoices before being handed over to district administration officials during the July raid.
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Meanwhile, the missing ambulance was reportedly sent to a separate garage in the Shekherchar area. Operators at that facility allege that two municipal drivers, Al Amin and Kamal Hossain, retrieved the ambulance following the August 5 unrest, after which it disappeared. Kamal Hossain, however, has denied any wrongdoing. He asserted that he is prepared to face disciplinary action if proven guilty, claiming that the vehicle was released under the instruction of the former mayor’s personal driver, Dulal.
Internal accountability at the municipality appears severely compromised. Storekeeper Rahima Begum admitted that she was never provided with registration documents or an inventory of the municipal fleet, leaving her unable to track the status of the vehicles or identify who holds responsibility for their oversight. Anonymous municipal employees have pointed fingers at a group of individuals close to the former mayor, including drivers Kamal Hossain and Mostafa, as the architects of the alleged illegal sale. The committee is now tasked with untangling these conflicting narratives to recover the missing assets.
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