Cumilla, July 18 (UNB) – Thirteen Rohingyas, including women and children, have been held in Brahmanpara upazila.

SAM Shahjahan Kabir, officer-in-charge of Brahmanpara Police Station, said the Rohingyas were caught by locals in Shashidal Majar area on Wednesday night. 

Being informed, police took them to their custody on Thursday when the detainees confessed that they fled Cox’s Bazar Rohingya camp recently. 

They were sent back to the Rohingya camp through Cumilla Deputy Commissioner’s office. 

The detainees are Habibullah, 38, Rajuma, 27, Md Sohel, 9, Ashraf, 7, Samir, 4, Taslima, 2, Samia, 1, Imam Hossain, 77, Asia Khatun, 56, Monwara, 22, Rajuma, 20, Syed Alam, 25, Hamid Hossain, 25.

Sherpur, July 18 (UNB)- Forest officers recovered the body of a wild elephant from Gajni Tilapara boarder area in Jhenigati upazila here on Thursday.

Prantosh Roy, Deputy Forest officer, said on information they went to Kangsha union’s Gajni tourist spot and recovered the elephant’s body.

The elephant might have died from food poisoning. The body was buried in the afternoon after persevering some parts of the body for forensic tests, he added.

Kangsha Union Parishad Chairman Jahurul Islam said locals spotted the dead elephant at 9am and informed the matter to forest officers.

Barguna, July 18 (UNB) – Aysha Siddika Minni has confessed to her involvement in the killing of her husband Rifat Sharif, claimed Superintendent of Police (SP) of the district Md Maruf Hossain on Thursday.

“Interrogation of Minni is going on in remand. She has provided important information. She confessed to police that she was involved in masterminding the murder,” he said while addressing a press briefing at his office at noon.

Minni who was arrested on Tuesday night over the gruesome murder of Rifat Sharif was put on a five-day remand on Wednesday.

Quoting Minni, the SP said the incident took place after Rifat took away a cellphone of one of his friends.

The victim sought prime accused Nayon Bond’s help to get back his mobile phone and Nayon Bond approached Minni to this end. Minni managed to return the cellphone, he said.

However, this led to an altercation between the couple and Rifat beat Minni at one stage.

As Nayon Bond and Rifat Farazi came to know about the incident, they planned to teach Rifat a lesson although they had no intention to kill him, the SP said, adding that Minni was aware of the plan.

Meanwhile, investigation officer of the case and Inspector of Barguna Police Station Md Humayun Kabir said Minni previously married Nayon Bond and later she married Rifat without her divorce with Nayon.

After her second marriage, she was in regular tough with her first husband Nayon, he said, adding that Minni contacted the accused before and after the murder.

On the fateful day, Rifat wanted to leave the college campus but Minni tactfully stopped him as the accomplices of Nayon Bond were yet to come to the spot, the IO said. “She also played an indifferent role while the criminals were taking away Rifat.”

Rifat Sharif, 22, was attacked with sharp weapons near the main gate of Barguna Govt College on June 26. His wife Aysha Siddika Minni appeared to be trying to protect him during the attack that was caught on surveillance camera.

Meanwhile, police on Thursday announced the arrest of Rishan Farazi, another suspect in the case.

However, they did not disclose details of the arrest.

Nayon Bond was killed in a reported gunfight with law enforcers on July 2.

Eleven accused have so far confessed their involvement to the murder while four others were currently on remand.

Netrakona, July 18 (UNB) - A youth was beaten to death by a mob on Thursday after he was found ‘carrying a child’s severed head in a bag’ in the district town.

The deceased was identified as Robin, 22, son of Eklas Uddin of Katli area of Netrakona municipality and the child is Sajib Mia, 8, son of Rois Mia of the same area. 

Quoting locals, officer-in-charge of Netrakona Model Police Station Tajul Islam and Inspector (Investigation) Nazmul Hasan said some people of the Harijan community noticed a head in his bag when the youth went to Harijan Palli to have liquor, and chased him.

The angry mob then beat him up mercilessly beside a pond in the New Town area of the municipality, leaving him dead on the spot, the OC added.

Police recovered the body of the youth and the severed head of the child.

Later, law enforcers recovered the child’s beheaded body from an under-construction building in the area around 4pm, Tajul said.

Superintendent of Netrakona Police Joydev Chowdhury said Sajib had been living with his parents at a rented house in South Katli for the last one month. 

The victim’s mother said the boy went of their house in the morning to buy juice from a shop but he did not return home. 

Gaibandha, July 18 (UNB) – The normal life came to grinding halt after the district town went under water on Thursday night, causing untold sufferings to thousands of its residents.
 
The town was inundated after gushing water breached 20 points of the city embankment.
 
Roksana Begum, the acting deputy commissioner of the district, said the administration is trying to repair the damaged parts.
 
At the confluence of the Jamuna and Brahmaputra rivers, the water was flowing nearly six feet (191cm) above the danger level at Fulchhari point, said Mokhlesur Rahman, executive engineer of the Water Development Board.
 
The water of the Ghaghot River has risen 91cm above the danger level.
 
People in the town were mostly forced to stay indoors. The district’s rail communications with the northern parts remained suspended for the second consecutive day.
 
More than 700 schools across the district have been shut down. Some of them are being used as shelters but they lack food, drinking water and sanitation facility.
 
In rural areas, people are sharing shelters with their precious livestock but the shortage of fodder is turning out to be a headache for them. Many people have taken shelter on boats in Char areas.
 
Municipality Mayor Syed Jahangir Kabir Milon said they are trying to protect the town and its residents. The municipality is providing one meal a day to people in dire need, he said.
 
The administration said it is distributing relief materials but many affected people said they did not receive anything. “We’re having a very hard time. Let alone relief, nobody even contacted us,” one of them said.
 
Although the situation shows no sign of improvement, WDB official Mokhlesur is optimistic that the floodwater will start receding at night as there is no rain now.