Chairman, MD of pest control company held

Detective Branch (DB) of police on Thursday arrested the chairman and managing director of DCS Organisation Ltd in connection with the deaths of two siblings after inhaling toxic gas from pesticide sprayed by the company.
A team of DB Lalbagh Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested Ashrafuzzaman and Farhadul Amin, the chairman and managing director of the pest control service providing company, from Narsingdi and Brahmanbaria respectively at around 7:45am.
Harun-Or-Rashid, additional commissioner (DB) of the DMP, briefed this to reporters at the DMP media centre that day.
Meanwhile, a Dhaka court placed them on a three-day remand.
After the death of the two siblings -- Shayan Mobarrat Zahin, 15 and Shahir Mobarrat Zayan, 9,-- the arrested persons fled from the capital to different districts, he said.
The police officer said, “They through their inexpert workers sprayed aluminum phosphide tablets to kill cockroaches and other insects at the apartment of Mobarak Hossain Tushar, former president of Uttara Royal Club.”
“We have talked to experts from home and abroad on the use of phosphide tablets, they have told us that those only can be used at seed storehouses, big garments and non-residential places,” he said.
If it is necessary at any residential flat, the doors and windows of the flat must be kept shut for 72-92 hours after the spray. After that, those must be kept open for 24 hours, said the officer.
“We are suspecting that the quantity of the pesticide which was sprayed in the residence of Tushar was not accurate,” he said.
During interrogation, the arrested chairman and managing director could not answer to the police questions rightly.

They only for earning money sprayed the pesticide without caring the health safety of the residents.

Harun said that they would try to bring the arrestees to remand and would interrogate about the sources of the pesticide and approval of the authorities concerned.

“We will try to know if there is the involvement of any other in this regard. If it is found, we will bring them to book,” said Harun.

On June 2, several employees of the DCS Organisation Ltd sprayed the pesticide at Tushar’s apartment at Vatara in the capital.

The siblings and their parents and sister fell ill when they entered their residence from outside. They were admitted to a city hospital where the siblings died on Sunday.

Police then said the pest control company used aluminium phosphide tablets, which created toxic gas and caused the deaths.