13-14 groups of LSD sellers active in Dhaka: Police

Quoting the detainees, who were arrested in last four days with hallucinogenic drug lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), police Sunday said that 13-14 groups are active in selling LSD in Dhaka.

"Some youths are involved with drug selling after purchasing those from online platforms," said Dhaka Metropolitan Police's (DMP) Deputy Commissioner (Motijheel Division) Abdul Ahad in a briefing at Paltan police station.

"During the primary interrogation, the arrestees informed police that another 13-14 groups are still active in LSD selling in the capital," said the DC, adding, "LSD has been available in the country for past few years, but the matter came to light after death of a Dhaka University student recently."

"They collect LSD from sources in abroad, mostly different European countries, through luggage parties, postal and courier services. They also sell hemp and methamphetamine," DC Ahad added.

Police arrested three students of two private universities along with LSD drug from Dhanmondi on Wednesday. Later, five more youths were arrested with the hallucinogenic drug from Khilgaon and Baridhara areas on Saturday night.

The arrests were made during an investigation of death of DU student Hafizur Rahman, said police.

Police said DU student Hafizur and three of his friends took LSD at the Curzon Hall of DU campus on the night of May 15, later the 24-year-old killed himself the same night due to overdose, said investigators.

Hafizur returned from his home town to Dhaka citing some urgent work on the next day of Eid-ul-Fitr on May 15 and went missing.

Later, his body was identified at morgue of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

Quoting a pedestrian, cops said that Hafizur slit his throat with a machete of a coconut seller in front of DMCH around 8pm that night.

LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), first synthesized in 1938, is an extremely potent hallucinogen. It is synthetically made from lysergic acid, which is found in ergot, a fungus that grows on rye and other grains. It is so potent its doses tend to be in the microgram (mcg) range.