The movement restrictions and ban on tourist arrival, imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19, on the picturesque Saint Martin s Island have come as a blessing for a few public representatives and their accomplices.
Taking advantage of lax monitoring of the administration during the ongoing second wave of the pandemic, at least three local public representatives have been doing brisk business by openly selling crushed corals, extracted from the nature, to hotels operating on the country s lone coral island.
In their bid to cash in on the burgeoning demand for accommodations on the island during normal times, the criminals are operating a protection racket that controls the illegal trade of construction materials, which are prohibited on St Martin s.
Stone Lifting: Freedom fighter sues OC, 8 others Our Correspondent, Sylhet Our Correspondent, Sylhet
A freedom fighter has sued nine people, including two policemen, for illegally lifting stones from his property in Jaflong of Sylhet s Gowainghat upazila.
Insan Ali of Jaflong Nayabasti area filed the case with Sylhet Senior Special Session Judge s Court on Sunday. Later, the court tasked the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) with the investigation, said Insan s lawyer Shah Alam.
The accused cops are Officer-in-Charge Abdul Ahad of Gowainghat Police Station and Sub-Inspector of the police station Abdul Mannan.
The case statement says a group of unscrupulous traders with the help of the policemen has been illegally lifting stones from Insan s property and nearby government land under the Ecologically Critical Area (ECA) for around a month.