Attack on customs team who busted poppy seed, sodium cyclamate smuggling ring

In a brazen daylight assault that has sent shockwaves through Bangladesh’s anti-smuggling forces, two senior Chattogram Customs officials were viciously attacked with a machete after exposing a multi-crore banned poppy seeds, sodium cyclamate and fake-declaration racket.

The terrifying ambush unfolded at around 10:30am on Thursday, December 4, in the CDA residential area under Doublemooring Police Station, central Chattogram.

The victims – courageous Chattogram Customs Revenue Officer Md Asaduzzaman Khan and Assistant Revenue Officer (ARO) Badrul Arefin – escaped with their lives only by fleeing into a narrow alley as their car was smashed to pieces.

Speaking from the scene, a shaken Asaduzzaman revealed the chilling moment three masked thugs on a motorcycle pounced: “We were driving to the office when suddenly they blocked our car. One pulled out a machete and started hacking at the windows while another screamed ‘Shoot him! Shoot him!’ We jumped out and ran for our lives.”

This was no random attack. Asaduzzaman had already registered a General Diary at Bandar Police Station on October 6 after receiving death threats over the phone the previous day.

Deputy Commissioner of Chattogram Customs House, Md Tarek Mahmud, confirmed the motive appears directly linked to the officials’ recent crackdowns: “In the last two months our team seized two containers stuffed with banned poppy seeds and another loaded with misdeclared sugar. We also smashed a powerful syndicate importing cosmetics under false declarations. Ever since, these officers have been receiving constant threats from unknown numbers. Today’s attack is clearly revenge.”

The audacious assault has exposed the deadly risks faced by customs officers battling Bangladesh’s billion-taka smuggling mafia.

Doublemooring Police Station OC Babul Azad told reporters: “We are treating this as attempted murder. CCTV footage, eyewitness accounts, and forensic evidence are being collected. The attackers will be hunted down.”

As the battered customs car sat surrounded by shattered glass and machete marks, one thing is clear: Chattogram’s anti-smuggling warriors have rattled a dangerous criminal network – and they are now paying the price with their blood.

More to follow as the manhunt intensifies.