Eight deaths from toxic alcohol consumption in northern Bangladesh
The deaths, in the Badarganj and Rangpur areas, are linked to the consumption of bootleg alcohol. The latest victim is alleged trafficker Zainul Abedin. In this Muslim-majority country, the existing ban encourages illegal trade. Investigations into the supply chain are ongoing.
Dhaka (AsiaNews) – The death toll from the consumption of toxic bootleg alcohol in northern Bangladesh has risen to eight, local police confirmed.
The tragedy sheds light on the dangers of an illegal trade that thrives despite the country's restrictive laws.
Zainul Abedin, an alleged trafficker, is the latest victim. He died Tuesday night in Rangpur Central Prison after he was arrested and had ten bottles seized.
His death tragically concludes a series of deaths that began last Sunday in the areas of Badarganj, Rangpur Sadar, and Hazirhat.
According to police and local sources, the victims – including Amirul Islam, Sohel Mia, and Zender Ali – drank toxic “rectified spirit”, a highly concentrated and often industrially produced alcohol, purchased from trafficker Zainul Abedin in the Shyampur Hat area.
Soon after consuming the substance, the men felt suddenly ill, and most died.
“A total of 4 people have died in different areas under my police station,” said Badarganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Hasan Zahid Sarkar.
Separate cases of unnatural deaths have been reported in similar incidents, suggesting an underground pattern of alcohol poisoning, including one death that was reportedly hidden from the authorities.
Some residents claim that Uliar Rahman, from Sadar Upazila, was secretly buried after he died from alcohol poisoning, leaving no official trace.
Alcohol is banned in the Muslim-majority country of 170 million, yet tragedies of this kind are not uncommon.
Non-Muslim minorities and foreigners with special permits can consume alcohol legally, but this has created a vast black market in dangerous and unregulated alcohol.
“People said, if alcohol was not banned, people would not drink spirit and would not die,” one local source told AsiaNews, pointing to the unintended consequences of prohibition.
Bangladesh has a legal but tightly regulated alcohol industry, with the state-owned Carew & Co. (Bangladesh) Ltd. as the main producer, along with a handful of licenced private distilleries.
However, high prices and limited access to these products push many towards cheaper and more dangerous alternatives, often lethal, available on the black market.
Investigations into the supply chain are ongoing. Rangpur Superintendent of Police Marufat Hossain said the dealers purchased the substances from a homeopathic chamber.
“The Detective Police and the Narcotics Control Department have also conducted a raid… We have received several pieces of information. The raid is ongoing,” he explained.
Zainul Abedin was arrested last Monday following the first deaths. A case was opened against him and several persons unknown. He was charged with murder due to the use of drugs and toxic and deadly substances.
Police are still looking to apprehend those involved, while communities mourn the loss of eight men in a preventable tragedy, caused by illegal trade.
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30/04/2009
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