United News of Bangladesh

A motorcyclist was killed as a bus crashed into his bike in the Morairtala area of Zakiganj upazila in Sylhet on Sunday morning. The deceased was identified as Farhad Ahmed, 32, son of Abdus Subhan of Bargatta village under Barothakuri union in the upazila. According to police, a bus bound for Sylhet city from Zakiganj hit Farhad's motorcycle on a bridge near Atgram bus stand around 8:00am, leaving him dead on the spot. On information, police recovered the body and sent it to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital morgue for an autopsy. Officer-in-Charge of Zakiganj Police Station Muhammad Abdur Razzak said legal proceedings in connection with the incident were underway.

The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has foiled an attempt by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) to push 12 people into Bangladesh through the Burimari Bamandol border in Patgram upazila of Lalmonirhat. According to BGB and local sources, the BSF attempted to push the group into Bangladesh through an area adjacent to border pillar No. 838/1 around 3:30am on Sunday. After being informed, a BGB team immediately reached the spot and took position there. Faced with strong resistance from BGB members, the BSF was forced to abandon the attempt. Local sources said the 12 people were staying near the zero line of the border. Lieutenant Colonel Md Shahinul Islam, commanding officer of the 61 BGB Teesta Battalion, said they protested the unauthorised push-in attempt by the BSF. He said the BGB called for a flag meeting with the BSF and was working to resolve the issue.

A 25-year-old youth was shot in the left thigh and had his mobile phone snatched by three unidentified miscreants at the Tutpara Amtala intersection in Khulna city early Sunday. Jumman Rahman Bishal, son of Lotfar Rahman of Darogar Basti in Tutpara, is undergoing treatment at Khulna Medical College Hospital. Police and locals said Bishal was standing in front of a mosque at the intersection around 2:30am when three helmet-wearing men arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire on him. The bullet hit his left thigh. The attackers also snatched his mobile phone before fleeing, they said. Hearing the gunshots, local residents rescued Bishal and took him to the hospital. A local source said Bishal is the nephew of Bismillah, an alleged drug trader in the Tutpara area, and is also involved in drug trading. The source alleged that Bishal sells drugs in the area on behalf of a top criminal in Khulna who was recently released from jail. The same source said Bishal came under attack about 15 days ago when members of a “special group” allegedly went to his house and opened fire. However, he escaped the attack unharmed. Officer-in-Charge of Khulna Sadar Police Station Lokman Hossain Ripon said they were investigating the incident.  

Police have arrested the restaurant manager of Tuptup Resto & Resort in Inani, Ukhiya, in connection with a fire that killed 10 tourists on Saturday. Mohammad Sumon, the Resort manager, was arrested around 6pm and taken to Ukhiya Police Station, Officer-in-Charge Atikur Rahman said. “A case is being processed in connection with the incident,” he said. The fire broke out at the resort in the Patuertek area near Inani Beach around 7am and spread quickly, said Talha Bin Zashim, an official at the Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters. Two firefighting units rushed to the scene and brought the blaze under control by 8:15am. Firefighters fully extinguished it around 11am. Ten bodies were recovered from the resort, while a team from Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) joined the rescue operation, Talha said. Six of the deceased were identified as Ishrat Jahan Maliha, 30, and Milita Mehejabin Alvi, 23, from Banasree in Dhaka; Laila Jahan Nabila, 27, and Nafista Mim, 27, from Khilgaon in the capital; and Fariha Kabir, 33, and Faizan Ahmed, 5, from Chuadanga. The identities of the remaining victims could not be confirmed immediately. The injured were identified as Shihab Uddin, 31, a physician at Mugda Medical College Hospital; his wife Nafiza Newaz Khan, 29; Mannan, 34; Meherunnesa, 30; Masud, 30; and Samida, 32.

Two people were killed in separate train accidents in the Phulbari Gate area under Khanjahan Ali Police Station in Khulna city on Saturday morning. The deceased were identified as Mahfuzul Islam Siam, 19, son of Nur Islam of Meerer Danga in Phulbari, and Joynal Abedin, son of Khobir Uddin of Alamnagar in Khalishpur. Siam was crossing the railway line at Phulbari Gate around 5:45am when he was struck by the Khulna-bound Chitra Express from Dhaka. He sustained severe injuries to his head, left arm, and leg, dying on the spot. In a separate incident around 9:00am, Joynal, who had been suffering from mental illness for a long time, left home unannounced and was walking along the track near Phulbari main gate. He was hit by the Ishwardi-bound Rupsha Express leaving Khulna, suffering fatal head and leg injuries. SM Raihan, Khulna Railway Police Station Sub-Inspector (SI), said both bodies are kept at Khulna Medical College Hospital morgue pending legal procedures before being handed over to their families.

Police arrested a man and seized a local pistol, a magazine, and two rounds of ammunition from an engine-driven chicken carrying van in Benapole on Friday night. The arrestee was identified as Miaraj Gain, 27, son of Sirajul Gain of Shankarpur village under Krishnanagar union in Kaliganj upazila of Satkhira district. Benapole Port Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Arshaf Hossain confirmed the arrest on Saturday morning, said that the drive was conducted around 11:00 p.m. on Friday in front of Tonima Filling Station on the Jashore-Benapole Highway. Acting on secret information that a youth was transporting arms toward Kaliganj in a chicken-carrying van, a police team set up a checkpoint at the filling station, intercepted the vehicle, and recovered the arms and ammunition from Miaraj. A case has been filed against the suspect, and he was produced before a Jashore court on Saturday afternoon, the OC added.

Five people, including four members of a family, were killed and another was critically injured when a paddy-laden truck rammed into a battery-run auto-rickshaw in Rowmari upazila of Kurigram on Saturday afternoon. The deceased were identified as Lipi Begum, 42, wife of Shahidul Islam of Charlakanda village, her two children Rishad, 12, and Tuba Moni, 7; her sister Sharifa Khatun, 50, wife of Badal Mia of Kottimari area and the unidentified auto-rickshaw driver. According to police and locals, the speeding truck crashed into the auto-rickshaw coming from the opposite direction,  leaving five people dead on the spot. Locals rescued the critically injured passenger and sent him to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital after primary care. Kawsar Ali, Roumari Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC), said police recovered the bodies and are preparing inquest reports, adding that drives are underway to seize the truck and initiate legal action.

A fire broke out at Ibn Sina Pharmaceuticals Ltd. in the Safipur area of Gazipur on Saturday afternoon. The fire started around 4pm on the ground floor of a six-storey factory building, said Talha Bin Zashim, station officer (media cell) at the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) headquarters. On information, six firefighting units rushed to the spot and were working to bring the fire under control, the official said. The cause of the fire could not immediately be confirmed, he added.

An activist of a local unit BNP was shot dead and another was injured in an attack by some miscreants at Barabkunda in Sitakunda upazila of Chattogram district on Friday night. The deceased was identified as Tarek Hossain Bappi, 26, son of Ali Ahmed of Madhyam Mahdabad area of the upaizla. Mujibur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge of Sitakunda Model Police Station, said the miscreants opened fire in front of an office of one Olinagar Saddam around 11 pm, leaving two people injured. The injured were taken to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital where doctors declared Tarek dead. Police are trying to arrest the attackers involved in the incident, said the OC.

A suspected criminal was shot dead by unidentified miscreants in Sajjankanda Madhyapara area of Rajbari district town on Friday night. The deceased was identified as Piarul Sardar, 30, son of Harun Sardar of Bara Muraripur village in Sadar upazila. He was wanted in 14 cases including that of arms, murder, drugs, and robbery. Mir Monir Hossain, Superintendent of Rajbari Police, said a two miscreants wearing helmet and riding on a motorbike opened fire on Piarul while he was standing beside a shop around 7:45 pm, leaving him injured. Later, he was taken to Rajbari Sadar Hospital, where the doctors declared him dead. He suffered two bullet wounds in his chest, said Dr Anik Kumar Mondal, a duty officer of the hospital's emergency department. DB police arrested him on February 4 this year but he was later released on bail. Police are working to arrest those involved in the killing, said SP Monir. The motive behind the murder and the identities of the attackers could not be known immediately.