ACC Finds 42 Politicians, Officials Linked to Massive Stone Looting in Sylhet

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has uncovered evidence that 42 politicians, businessmen, and local power brokers were directly or indirectly involved in the large-scale illegal extraction of stones from the Sada Pathor area of Companiganj upazila in Sylhet.

The accused include leaders and activists from the BNP, Jamaat, NCP, and Awami League, alongside members of the local administration, police, and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), who either looked the other way or colluded with the looters.

The findings came during an enforcement drive on 13 August, led by Rafi Md Najmus Sadat, deputy director of the ACC’s Sylhet office. The team later sent its report to Dhaka, which was made public on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters, Najmus Sadat confirmed that permission had been sought from the Commission to open a case for a full investigation, but he declined to elaborate further.

Stones Worth Hundreds of Crores Looted

The ACC report says organized groups, working with officials, removed stones worth several hundred crores of taka from the tourist site. Though stone lifting was officially banned in 2020, extraction surged after the fall of the Awami League government in August 2024. The latest phase of looting occurred just two weeks ago, stripping nearly 80 percent of the stones and leaving behind a scarred landscape of pits and sandbanks.

The report divides those involved into six groups: Bureau of Mineral Development (BMD), local administration, police, BGB, politicians, and others. Senior officials—including the divisional commissioner, deputy commissioner (DC), superintendent of police (SP), upazila nirbahi officer (UNO), and the local police officer-in-charge (OC)—were accused of negligence, collusion, or taking commissions.

Kickbacks for Officials

Witnesses and traders told the ACC that the DC, UNO, land officials, and tahsildars collected Tk 5,000 per truckload and Tk 500 per boatload of stones. The money was split between district and upazila administrations.

Former Sylhet DC Mohammad Sher Mahbub Murad, recently transferred and made an officer on special duty, was accused of inaction and negligence. Four UNOs posted in Companiganj over the past year were also criticized for “token action” without genuine enforcement.

The divisional commissioner, Khan Md Reza-un-Nabi, was accused of tacitly supporting the trade. In a July meeting with traders, he allegedly remarked that if stones can be extracted elsewhere, Sylhet should be no exception—remarks the ACC said emboldened looters. The commissioner later denied making such statements.

Police and BGB Implicated

The ACC found that each truckload of stones, priced at about Tk 91,000, included Tk 5,000 for the police. Proceeds were divided among the SP, circle ASP, OC, and other officers. Companiganj OC Uzair Al Mahmud Adnan was named for facilitating the trade, though he did not respond to calls for comment. The Sylhet SP dismissed the allegations as unproven.

The report also alleged that BGB posts within 500 meters of the site turned a blind eye in exchange for payments. BGB officials, however, denied the claims, calling them “false and baseless.”

Politicians Across Parties Named

Altogether, 31 politicians were named, including 21 from the BNP, two from Jamaat, two from the NCP, and seven from the Awami League. Among them are Sylhet city BNP’s acting president Rezaul Hasan Kayes Lodi, general secretary Imdad Hossain Chowdhury, city Jamaat leader Fakhrul Alam, district Jamaat secretary Zainal Abedin, and NCP coordinators Nazim Uddin and Abu Sadek Chowdhury.

They are accused of mobilizing laborers, exploiting their influence, and profiting directly from illegal stone trading. A further 11 individuals—including traders, activists, a union chairman, and even a madrasa teacher—were also implicated.

Several accused politicians rejected the allegations in press briefings, calling them politically motivated and defamatory.

Market-Controlled Looting

According to the ACC, organized networks of politicians and traders coordinated the trade, ensuring payments flowed to police, administrators, and border guards. Large groups of laborers, sometimes numbering in the thousands, worked openly to extract stones, turning the once-popular tourist spot into a wasteland.

The Commission has recommended a full investigation into the Bureau of Mineral Development’s failure to enforce the ban and has hinted at possible involvement of journalists and professionals, though their names were withheld.