Police in Sitakunda, Chattogram, have seized 124,000 yaba tablets worth about Tk 3.5 crore after uncovering a secret chamber inside a gas cylinder used by drug traffickers. The discovery was made late Monday night during a routine checkpoint on the Dhaka–Chattogram highway. Officers pursued a private car that attempted to flee the checkpoint, later finding it abandoned by the roadside. Upon inspection, the gas cylinder inside the vehicle appeared unusually light, prompting police to cut it open and find the concealed drugs.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, Additional Superintendent of Police (DB) Russell PPM (Bar) said the operation was part of intensified anti-narcotics drives ordered by the Chattogram District Police Superintendent. He noted that traffickers are using increasingly sophisticated methods, but police are countering them through technology-based surveillance and intelligence. The seized yaba consignment is among the largest recent recoveries in Sitakunda.

Police have launched an extensive investigation to identify the source, destination, and network behind the shipment. Efforts are underway to locate the fleeing driver and the car’s owner using digital tracking tools. A case under the Narcotics Control Act is being processed.