United News of Bangladesh

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Md. Ali Hossain Fakir on Sunday sought public cooperation to build Bangladesh Police into a humane and friendly force, emphasizing that a strong police force is essential for public safety and ease of movement in society. He made the remarks while speaking to local journalists after addressing a community policing rally as the chief guest at the new Police Lines in Bagerhat, organized by the District Police. Highlighting government initiatives to modernize the force, the IGP said ECNEC has approved a project to purchase 5,800 new vehicles to address transport shortages, noting that the force currently lacks nearly 2,500 vehicles against its allotted strength. Addressing manpower constraints, he said at least 15,000 personnel will be recruited annually. He also urged citizens not to incite mobs and instead assist the police in maintaining law and order. Expressing "zero tolerance" against drugs, the police chief emphasized that community policing committees, expanded down to union levels under UNOs and OCs, can resolve 15 key social problems including youth gangs, drug abuse, child marriage, and corruption. Later, the IGP exchanged views with police personnel at a special welfare meeting at the Police Lines drill shed.

Bangladesh’s Annual Development Programme (ADP) implementation rate stood at 3.89 per cent in the first three months of the current fiscal year (FY2026-27), with expenditure reaching Tk 12,017.54 crore, according to the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED). The rate was lower than the 5.09 per cent recorded in the same period of FY2025-26, when expenditure amounted to Tk 12,158.27 crore, the IMED data showed. The government allocated Tk 3,08,924.86 crore for the ADP in FY2026-27, compared with Tk 2,38,696 crore in the previous fiscal year. The ADP implementation rate was 4.75 per cent in the first three months of FY2024-25, when expenditure stood at Tk 13,215.30 crore. In FY2023-24, the rate was 7.50 per cent, with spending of Tk 20,609.55 crore during the corresponding period. In FY2022-23, the implementation rate was 8.55 per cent, with expenditure reaching Tk 21,895.56 crore in the first quarter. In September alone, the government spent Tk 6,307.84 crore on development projects in FY2026-27, representing 2.04 per cent of the annual allocation. In September of FY2025-26, expenditure was Tk 6,443.44 crore, equivalent to 2.70 per cent of that year’s allocation. The latest figures indicate that monthly development spending in September was lower than a year earlier, both in absolute terms and as a proportion of the annual ADP allocation. The IMED, under the Planning Ministry, monitors the implementation of development projects and reports progress on a monthly basis.  

Saint Martin’s Island, the country’s only coral island, will reopen to tourists on November 1, with daily visitor numbers capped at 3,500 until March 15, 2027 and each visitor required to pay a Tk 100 environmental conservation fee. Environment-2 wing of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued a letter in this regard on Sunday. According to the letter, the decisions were taken at an inter-ministerial meeting held at the ministry’s conference room on October 12 chaired by Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo, to regulate tourist movement to the ecologically critical island. Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) and the Department of Shipping will not be allowed to authorise vessel operations to the island without approval from the environment ministry. Tourist vessels authorised to operate from Nuniachhara Ghat in Cox’s Bazar will continue their services, the letter said. The Department of Environment has been asked to take necessary steps to collect the environmental conservation fee from tourists in accordance with Rule 26 of the Ecologically Critical Area Management Rules, 2016. The letter also stated that all directives issued in the ministry’s notification dated October 22, 2025, would remain in force. The ministry sent the letter to the secretaries of the ministries of Civil Aviation and Tourism and Shipping, the divisional commissioner of Chattogram, the director general of the Department of Environment (DoE), the chairman of Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, the director general of the Department of Shipping, the chairman of BIWTA, the chief executive officer of the Bangladesh Tourism Board and the deputy commissioner of Cox’s Bazar, asking them to take necessary measures to implement the decisions.

The Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has arrested five people including two women for their alleged involvement in a “honey-trap” gang. DB chief Additional Commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam disclosed the information at a press briefing at the DMP Media Centre on Sunday. The arrestees are Jit Bhakta alias Abdur Rahman, 38; Pritam Biswas alias Anik Sheikh, 30; Arthajit Bhakta alias Siddhartha, 20; Sabrin Kabir Prema alias Neha, 22; and Sadia Yasmin alias Mahi, 21. The gang used to blackmail wealthy men by recording their intimate moments and threatening to circulate  the footage on social media. Police said Jit Bhakta alias Abdur Rahman was the leader of the gang, while Pritam was his nephew and Sabrin was Pritam’s wife. Shafiqul Islam said the DB had been investigating the gang for a prolonged period after receiving complaints from four victims. The gang members frequently changed their residences and hideouts and operated multiple social media accounts using SIM cards registered under false identities, making it difficult for investigators to trace them, he said. The DB eventually tracked down the suspects through intelligence surveillance and technological assistance and arrested them at a residential building in the Turag area. Five mobile phones, three blank cheques and equipment allegedly used for torture, including a torture belt, were recovered during the operation, the DB chief said. He said the gang’s female members used different identities and social media accounts to establish romantic relationships with their targets before persuading them to visit designated locations. Once the victims arrived, the gang’s male members held them hostage, tortured them physically and recorded compromising photos and videos of them with the women. The gang then extorted large sums of money by threatening to publish the footage on social media and send it to the victims’ relatives, police said. Even after obtaining money from the victims once, the gang members allegedly continued to extort them on subsequent occasions by threatening to release the photos and videos, he added. A case has been filed against the arrestees with Turag Police Station in connection with the incident, according to the DB.

Police recovered the hanging body of a Comilla University student  from a rented flat at Fatullah in Narayanganj early Sunday. The deceased was identified as Farjana Islam, 25, a  student of the Pharmacy Department of the university and daughter of Rafiqul Islam of Bancharampur upazila in Brahmanbaria. Police recovered her body around 1:00am from a second-floor flat and sent it to Narayanganj General Hospital (Victoria Hospital) morgue for an autopsy. A suicide note was recovered from her bed, in which Farjana cited unbearable mental torture and taunts by her husband as the reason for ending her life, said Anwar Hossain, Fatullah Model Police Station Inspector (Investigation). Police detained her husband, Najmul Islam, 30, an employee of ACI Company and also a former student of the same department at Comilla University. The women’s elder brother, Ariful Islam, alleged that Farjana had been subjected to physical and mental abuse by Najmul since their marriage in 2023. Inspector Anwar said legal action is being taken.

The body of Bangladeshi national Sohel Rana, who died in Latvia after allegedly being tortured by human traffickers, returned home on Sunday. The remains of Sohel, 45, son of Abul Hashem, reached his home at Ramchandrapur village in Sadar upazila around 3:00pm, triggering an outpouring of grief among family members and relatives. Hundreds of villagers gathered at his home to pay their last respects. According to his father-in-law, Alfaz Uddin, Sohel was rescued by Latvian police from a forest near the Latvia-Belarus border on October 7 after being subjected to inhuman torture by a human trafficking gang that had promised to send him to Italy. He died the following day while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Latvia's Latgale region, Alfaz said. The family was informed of his death through a text message from Polish police on October 12, he added. On October 17, Sohel's wife, Jasmin Sultana, filed a case with a court accusing nine people in connection with the incident. The court subsequently directed the Officer-in-Charge of Jhenaidah Sadar Police Station to register the complaint as a first information report (FIR). Sohel's father, Abul Hashem, said his son's body was brought from Dhaka to their village home after completing the necessary legal procedures and administrative formalities. Local Union Parishad Chairman Enamul Haque Nilu said Sohel's namaz-e-janaza was held at the local Ramchandrapur School ground in the afternoon, after which he was buried at the family graveyard. Villagers demanded exemplary punishment for those involved in the alleged human trafficking network responsible for the incident.

Bangladesh recorded 2,249 dengue cases in the 24 hours to Sunday morning, the highest single-day tally so far this year. During the same period, seven people died of the mosquito-borne disease, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The latest figures brought the total number of dengue cases to 123,948 and the death toll to 384 this year. Of the new deaths, two each were reported in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) area and Mymensingh division, while one each was recorded in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) area, Khulna and Rajshahi divisions. Of the total deaths recorded this year, 52.8 percent were female, and 47.2 percent were male. Earlier, on September 27, Bangladesh recorded its previous highest daily dengue cases of 2,158. The highest number of dengue deaths in a single day this year was recorded on October 6 and 15, when 10 people succumbed to the mosquito-borne disease. A total of 117,400 dengue patients have been discharged from hospitals after recovery this year, according to the DGHS.

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday stressed the need to improve textile education and research to produce internationally competitive engineers and specialists and reduce the sector’s dependence on foreign experts. He made the remarks when a seven-member delegation led by Bangladesh University of Textiles (BUTEX) Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Md Julhas Uddin paid a courtesy call on him at Bangabhaban. MP from a reserved seat for women and BUTEX alumna Sanjida Islam was also present. Describing textiles as one of the country’s major economic sectors, the president emphasised ensuring suitable employment opportunities at home and abroad for textile graduates. This would help make proper use of the country’s skilled human resources while earning foreign currency, he said. The president also underscored the need to increase domestic cotton production to meet the raw material requirements of the textile industry. He called for taking initiatives to encourage farmers, explore ways to reduce production costs and strengthen coordination between the agriculture and textile sectors. He further stressed the need for more research into extracting fibres from natural sources, including jute, pineapple leaves and banana plants, alongside the development of synthetic yarn. During the meeting, the delegation briefed the president on BUTEX’s contributions to the development of the country’s textile and readymade garment industries, as well as its academic and research activities. They also highlighted several issues requiring attention, including infrastructure development, the establishment of modern laboratories, recruitment of additional staff, the creation of a separate BCS (Textile) cadre, increased budgetary allocations and the allocation of land in Purbachal, Dhaka, for a second campus. The president listened to their concerns and advised them to contact the relevant ministries to resolve the issues. He also assured the delegation of his cooperation. During the meeting, the VC invited the president, also the chancellor of the university, to preside over BUTEX’s second convocation, scheduled for March next year. The president accepted the invitation and assured the delegation that he would attend the event. Other members of the delegation included Prof Dr Md Ahsan Habib, dean of the Faculty of Textile Management and Business Studies; Prof Shilpi Akter, dean of the Faculty of Textile Engineering; Prof Dr Hasina Akhtar, dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering; Prof Dr Rasheda Begum Dina, dean of the Faculty of Textile Chemical Engineering; and Prof Dr Lamia Zahir of the Faculty of Fashion Design and Apparel Engineering. The president's military secretary, secretary and press secretary were also present at the meeting.

The government has now appointed BNP leader Dr Sahadat Hossain, who became the mayor of Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) following a court verdict, as the full-time administrator of the same city corporation. The Local Government Division issued a notification on Sunday in this regard. According to the notification, he will remain in the position until the city corporation is constituted or until further orders are issued. He will exercise the powers and perform the duties of the city corporation's mayor under Section 4(3) of the Local Government (City Corporation) Amendment Act, 2026. Sahadat will receive a monthly honorarium and other allowances as prescribed by the rules, the notification added. Sahadat had filed a case seeking cancellation of the results of the CCC election held on January 27, 2021. On October 1, 2024, a Chattogram court declared him the winner of the election after hearing his case. On August 19, 2024, the interim government removed then CCC Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury after the fall of the Awami League government on August 5 in the face of a mass upsurge. Later, Divisional Commissioner Tofayel Islam was appointed as the CCC administrator.

Nepal resumed exporting 40 megawatts of electricity to Bangladesh through India’s transmission network on Friday evening, after the August 26 Bhotekoshi flood damage to two hydropower plants disrupted supplies. The exports had been suspended after the disaster damaged the Trishuli and Chilime hydropower plants, both of which had been approved to supply electricity to Bangladesh. Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Managing Director Dirghayu Kumar Shrestha said exports resumed after India’s Central Electricity Authority approved electricity generated by other hydropower plants for supply to Bangladesh. Under the revised arrangement, electricity from the Solu Khola and Kabeli B1 hydropower plants has been approved for export to Bangladesh, while the Lower Modi Khola plant has been cleared to supply Haryana. The new approvals replace the previous designations for the Trishuli, Chilime and Devighat hydropower plants, reports the Kathmandu Post. Shrestha said the resumption of exports to Bangladesh, alongside continued electricity sales from other projects despite flood damage to hydropower plants and transmission infrastructure, was an important development for Nepal’s electricity trade. The renewed exports are expected to help Nepal manage surplus electricity generated during the monsoon and expand regional power trade, he said. The NEA and the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) signed a five-year agreement on October 3, 2024, for seasonal electricity exports. Under the agreement, Nepal supplies 40 megawatts of electricity to Bangladesh each year from June 15 to November 15. Meanwhile, the NEA exported electricity worth Rs5.925 billion to India between mid-September and mid-October 2026, earning more than in the same period last year and the preceding month despite flood damage to several hydropower projects. According to data from the NEA’s Load Dispatch Centre, Nepal exported 633.986 million units of electricity to India during the period, generating Rs5.925 billion in revenue. Floods had forced some hydropower plants that had received approval to supply electricity to India to shut down, affecting exports. Export earnings were Rs962 million higher than the Rs4.963 billion recorded during the same period last year and Rs832.5 million above the Rs5.0925 billion earned between mid-August and mid-September this year. The electricity was sold through two channels. Under bilateral power sales agreements, Nepal supplied electricity to the Indian states of Haryana and Bihar. The remaining power was sold at competitive rates through the day-ahead and real-time markets of the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX). The NEA exports surplus electricity generated during the monsoon after meeting domestic demand. Under medium-term bilateral power sales agreements, Nepal supplies electricity to Haryana and Bihar from June to October each year.