United News of Bangladesh

The body of a schoolboy who, along with his elder brother, went missing while bathing in the Dharla River was recovered on Tuesday morning, ending a three-day search operation that gripped the Mogolhat area in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila in grief. The deceased was identified as Sawan Hossain, an eighth-grade student of Mogolhat High School and son of Helal Hossain of the Mogolhat Tempu Stand area in the upazila. Earlier, the body of his elder brother, Sabbir Hossain, a ninth-grade student of the same school, was recovered on Monday afternoon, nearly 30 hours after the incident. According to police and local sources, the two brothers went missing on Sunday afternoon after being swept away by a strong current while bathing in the river in the Mogolhat Zero Point area. Their friend Mehedi, who was with them, managed to swim to safety. Following the incident, local residents, members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Fire Service personnel launched an intensive search operation. After days of continuous efforts, rescuers first recovered Sabbir’s body on Monday. The search continued overnight, and the body of younger brother Sawan was finally recovered on Tuesday morning by Fire Service divers. Saad Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Lalmonirhat Sadar Police Station, confirmed the recovery of both bodies and said legal procedures were being completed.

Houses were vandalised and the Lalmonirhat–Burimari highway was blocked with the body of a teenager in Aditmari upazila of Lalmonirhat district on Tuesday. The victim, Liakat Ali Laden, 16, was the son of Ashraful of Balatari village under Sarpukur union and a student of a local madrasa. On Monday night, he was allegedly stabbed by a local boy named Roki at the Sarpukur  Government Primary School ground in the upazila, according to locals. Police and locals said the incident stemmed from a trivial altercation when Rabby, the minor son of Juel of Daspara village, allegedly insulted Laden. In retaliation, Laden slapped Rabby, who later informed his family.  Following this, around 8:00 pm, Laden was sitting alone at the nearby Sarpukur Government Primary School ground when Roki allegedly stabbed him from behind and fled the scene. Locals rescued him and took him to Lalmonirhat Sadar Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Then, angry residents attacked and vandalised at least seven houses belonging to Roki and his relatives, also carrying out looting, according to eyewitnesses. Police later brought the situation under control and sent the body to the morgue. On Tuesday afternoon, protesters again blocked the Lalmonirhat–Burimari highway at Saptibari Bazar with the body, demanding punishment for the killers. Later, Aditmari Police Station Officer-in-Charge Nazmul Haque visited the spot and assured justice and swift arrest of the accused, after which the blockade was withdrawn around an hour later. OC Nazmul Haque said a murder case has been filed by the victim’s father, and drives are underway to arrest the accused.

A woman has allegedly been raped by a sweeper while seeking treatment for her minor daughter at Natore General Hospital, with allegations emerging that hospital authorities initially tried to suppress the incident. Police have arrested three sweepers in connection with the incident, including the main accused, after the incident came to light, officials said on Tuesday. Missing man’s body found in Natore pond According to Superintendent of Police Mohammad Shariful Haque of the district, the victim had been staying at the hospital after admitting her daughter to the Children’s Ward five days ago. The incident reportedly took place on the night of June 7 when Amit, a sweeper employed on an outsourcing basis, allegedly lured the woman to the fifth-floor terrace around 10:00pm under the pretext of providing medicine and then raped her. Police said two other sweepers, identified as Anil and Prangon, allegedly recorded the incident on their mobile phones. They later attempted to sexually assault the woman by threatening to release the video, according to the allegations. The matter was reportedly detected by on-duty nurses and ward attendants through the hospital’s CCTV monitoring system. After being rescued, Ansar members took the victim to hospital authorities, where her statement regarding the incident was recorded on a mobile phone. The victim described the allegations, while the three accused reportedly admitted their involvement. The woman was later taken to the room of a senior staff nurse, where she was allegedly advised not to disclose the incident to others. The accused were subsequently allowed to leave, while the victim was handed over to her family. The incident, however, was later reported to police by several hospital nurses, prompting law enforcement action. Officer-in-Charge of Sadar Police Station Mansur Rahman said police arrested the three accused after learning about the incident and a case has since been filed. The SP said he had ordered necessary action immediately after being informed of the matter and assured that a proper investigation would be carried out. Meanwhile, a probe body was also formed to look into the incident.

A 35-year-old woman and her school-going daughter were allegedly gang-raped by a group of robbers while committing robbery at their house in newly formed Matamuhuri upazila of Cox’s Bazar district early Tuesday. Officer-in-Charge of Chakaria Police Station Monir Hossain said a group of 8-10 robbers stormed into the house of an expatriate in the Sikdarpara Dalnirghona area of the upazila around 2:30am, breaking open the grill of the window. They looted valuables, including gold ornaments and cash, from the house. At one stage, the robbers violated the woman and her daughter, a Class-X girl, before fleeing with the booty. Relatives initially took them to Chakaria Upazila Health Complex from where they were later transferred to Sadar Hospital. The girl is undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital as her condition turned critical due to excessive bleeding. Assistant Superintendent of Police (Chakaria Circle) Ovijit Das along with several teams of police visited the spot. Police later detained six individuals for their alleged involvement in the incident, OC Monir said. Five of the detainees were identified as Rezaul, Mehedi, Babu, Kefayet and Tanzid of Purba Barabheola union.

Three curious onlookers who sustained burn injuries following an arson attack on the houses of three suspects in the rape and murder of a ninth-grade girl  in Pabna district, died at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery on Monday night and Tuesday. The deceased were identified as Sumon Sheikh, son of Tajir Uddin of East Raghabpur area; Saiful Islam Sabbir, son of Shakur Hossain; and Shapu, son of Yusuf, of Natun Para in Sadar upazila. On June 3, police recovered the body of Riya Khatun, 15, a Class IX student, from the Padma River in Bharara union of Sadar upazila. Police later arrested three people including Naim, who was reportedly in a relationship with Riya, for their alleged involvement in the killing. During interrogation, the accused reportedly confessed to raping and killing the girl. Riya was laid to rest at her family graveyard on June 4. Following the burial, an agitated crowd set fire to the houses of the three accused, said Tariqul Islam, Officer-in-Charge of Sadar Police Station. During the blaze, gas cylinders inside the houses exploded, leaving several people in the surrounding area injured. No members of the accused families were present in the houses at the time of the fire. All those injured were neighbours, local residents and curious onlookers who had gathered at the scene. The injured were taken to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surger  where three of them died on Monday night and Tuesday morning, said the OC.   

A truck driver was killed and three others were injured in a head-on collision between two trucks in Mirpur upazila of Kushtia early Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Sajib, 25, a truck driver. Among the injured is his helper, Jihad, 15. The identities of the driver and helper of the other truck could not be known immediately. The accident occurred around 4:00 am in the Nine Mile area on the Kushtia-Ishwardi highway. According to police and local sources, Sajib and his helper Jihad were travelling towards Rajshahi in a truck to collect mangoes from Babuganj in Barishal. When they reached the Nine Mile area, their vehicle collided head-on with a stone-laden truck coming from the opposite direction. Sajib died on the spot, while Jihad and the driver and helper of the other truck sustained injuries. Locals rescued the injured and took them to Kushtia 250-bed General Hospital for treatment. The collision left the front portions of both trucks badly damaged. Traffic movement on the highway remained suspended for some time before returning to normal about an hour later. Sajib’s body has been kept at the hospital morgue. Chowrhas Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abu Obayed said police were investigating the cause of the accident and necessary legal steps would be taken.

A teenage madrasa student was stabbed to death allegedly over a trivial matter in Aditmari upazila of Lalmonirhat on Monday night. The deceased was identified as Liakat Ali Laden, 16, son of Ashraful of Balatari village under Sarpukur union and a student of a local madrasa. According to police and local residents, the incident stemmed from an altercation involving Rabbi, the younger son of Jewel of Daspara village in the same union. Locals said Rabbi called Liakat a drug addict during an argument over a minor issue. Enraged by the remark, Liakat slapped Rabbi. However, local people intervened and settled the matter. Later around 8:00 pm, Liakat was sitting alone on the field of Sarpukur Government Primary School when Rocky, Rabbi’s elder brother,  allegedly attacked him from behind and stabbed him before fleeing the scene. Locals rushed the injured boy to Lalmonirhat Sadar Hospital where doctors declared him dead. Following the incident, angry local people attacked and vandalised the house of the accused. On information, police rushed to the spot, brought the situation under control and sent the body to the hospital morgue for autopsy. The victim's family is preparing to file a case. Aditmari Police Station Officer-in-Charge Nazmul Haque said the situation the accused fled the area immediately after the incident and could not be arrested yet. Efforts are underway to arrest those involved, he said.

Four people were killed and another was injured when a chicken-laden pickup van rammed into the rear of a stationary truck at Ghonar Chala area in Sakhipur upazila of Tangail early Tuesday. The deceased were identified as Nur Nabi, 64, son of Abul Hakim of Bakshiganj upazila in Jamalpur district; Rafiqul, 18, son of Md Palash of Patnitala upazila in Naogaon district; Sagar, 22, son of Md Ershad of Kendua upazila in Netrakona district; and Sumon, 26, son of Md Selim of Bhola district. Sumon used to live in Mirpur-1 area of Dhaka. According to local sources, bamboo was being loaded onto  the truck parked on the roadside when the speeding pickup van, coming from the Barachawna direction, crashed into the rear of the truck. Four people who were in the pickup van died on the spot, while a man on the bamboo-laden truck sustained serious injuries. The injured, Md Zahirul Islam, 40, son of Afsar Ali Mondal of Lakkhindar village in Ghatail upazila of Tangail, was rescued and admitted to a hospital. Sakhipur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Helal Uddin said the bodies were recovered and an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the accident. Necessary legal procedures are being carried out, he added.

Two people, including a college student, were killed in separate shooting and stabbing incidents in Pabna town on Monday. The deceased were identified as Ali Hossain, 53, and Monirul Islam, 24, a student of Pabna Government Edward College. According to police and locals, Ali Hossain was shot dead around 7.00 pm near Jamia Ashrafia Madrasa in the municipal area. Police and eyewitnesses, said Ali Hossain had gone to leave his child at the madrasa when assailants fireed on him and fled the scene. He died on the spot. In a separate incident around 4.00 pm behind the Central Bus Terminal area, an altercation broke out between two youths, identified as Rakib and Monirul Islam. At one stage, Rakib allegedly stabbed Monirul. Locals rescued Monirul and took him to Pabna General Hospital. He was later referred to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, but died on the way. Tarikul Islam, Pabna Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC), said Ali Hossain's body was recovered and sent to hospital for an autopsy and Monirul's body was being brought back to Pabna from Rajshahi. The OC also said Rakib had been detained in connection with Monirul's killing and that necessary legal procedures were underway in both cases.

The body of a teenage boy who went missing along with his younger brother while bathing in the Dharla River in Lalmonirhat was recovered on Monday, around 30 hours after the incident, while the search for the other sibling continued. The deceased was identified as Sabbir Hossain, a ninth-grade student of Mogolhat High School and son of Helal Hossain of the Mogolhat Tempu Stand area in Sadar upazila. Two siblings go missing in Dharla River in Lalmonirhat His body was found floating in the river near the Zero Point area of Mogolhat union on Monday afternoon, police and locals said. Sabbir and his younger brother, Sawon Hossain, an eighth-grade student at the same school, went missing on Sunday afternoon after being swept away by the river's current while bathing. According to police, the two brothers had gone to the river with their friend Mehedi around noon. At one stage, Sabbir and Sawon were caught in a strong current and disappeared underwater, while Mehedi managed to swim to safety. Local residents, members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) from the Mogolhat camp, Fire Service personnel and a diving team from Rangpur launched a search operation following the incident. After extensive efforts, rescuers recovered Sabbir's body on Monday afternoon. However, Sawon remained missing as of filing this report. Saad Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Lalmonirhat Sadar Police Station, said police were assisting in the rescue operation and efforts were continuing to locate the missing boy.