Princh Mondal Olif, Bagerhat District Correspondent:

Police have arrested former Morrelganj Municipal Jubo League General Secretary Badrul Alam Bhaddar in connection with a case involving the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit Derby cigarettes in Bagerhat.

According to police, Bhaddar was arrested on Monday (July 13) around noon during a raid at a house in Bagerhat. He is the owner of Crown Tobacco Industries, located in Sankibhanga village of Morrelganj Upazila, and is the principal accused in the case.

The case stems from a raid conducted on June 14 by the District Detective Branch (DB) Police, during which approximately 143,000 counterfeit Derby cigarettes, along with a large quantity of raw materials and packaging equipment used for cigarette production, were seized near the factory.

Following the operation, Legal Officer Mortuza Reza of British American Tobacco Bangladesh filed a case under the Special Powers Act against Badrul Alam Bhaddar, factory manager Monir Boyati, and Mojibor Sheikh. After the case was filed, the accused allegedly locked the factory and went into hiding.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md. Mahmudur Rahman of Morrelganj Police Station said the prime accused was tracked and arrested using technological surveillance. He added that police are continuing efforts to arrest the remaining accused and advance the investigation.

Police officials said legal proceedings in the case are ongoing, while the investigation is expected to determine the full extent of the alleged counterfeit cigarette production and distribution network.