SA Paribahan courier service has accused some Border Guard of Bangladesh (BGB) members for being involved in looting their parcels.
In a written complaint to the home ministry, SA Paribahan officials alleged that the BGB men on various occasions had looted the parcels from several vehicles of the company like terrorists.
Snatching away the mobile phones of the drivers, helpers and supervisors, the BGB members used to scout the vehicles to loot the parcels, they added.
A SA Paribahan covered van which was on its way from Khulna to Dhaka on 19 May was stopped by around 15 to 16 BGB men at Bhanga’s Mansurabad Bridge in Faridpur at around 3:30am, says the letter sent to the home ministry.
Seizing away the mobile phones of the driver and others of the SA Paribahan, the BGB members forced them to unlock the container and then the BGB men started looting the parcels from the van.
In the meantime, another vehicle of the courier service heading to Satkhira stopped at Mansurabad Bridge seeing the incident of looting.
SA Paribahan Satkhira branch manager Ayub Ali tried to obstruct the BGB men from looting the parcels.
At this, the BGB men came down hard on Ayub Ali and threatened to arrest him and at one point, they took the SA Paribahan vehicle with them.
Ayub Ali filed a general diary (GD) in this connection with a local police station and informed about the incident to SA Paribahan’s Dhaka office.
SA Paribahan’s Kushtia branch manager Md Shahjahan on 20 May could trace the seized vehicle at Chuadanga BGB camp. Shahjahan alleged that the BGB camp freed the vehicle after seizing 15 sacks of parcels and all their documents.
The letter also adds that the vehicle was carrying important documents, medicines, and fish. Many of these got completely rotten due to the eight-hour seizure.
When asked about the seizure, SA Paribahan managing director Salahuddin told Prothom Alo that BGB men do this on a regular basis.
The BGB members do not even return the list of the seized parcels, Salahuddin alleged.
This kind of incidents happen more on Chuadanga routes, he said adding that they found no remedy despite filing several GDs and cases.
BGB director general Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed on Monday said, “We have received a letter in this regard. We’ll look into the matter. No BGB men will be spared if they are involved in such irregularities.”