United News of Bangladesh

A 65-year-old woman was killed when a truck knocked down her in Jatrabari area of the capital early Saturday. The deceased was identified as Amena Begum, a resident of Jatrabari area in Dhaka. She hailed from Sadar upazila of Chandpur district. The accident occurred around 2:30 am when the truck hit the woman when she was crossing the road in front of Jatrabari fish market, leaving her critically injured. Later, she was taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where the doctors declared her dead, said Inspector Md Faruk, in-charge of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital police camp. Police seized the truck and arrest its driver.

A clash erupted in Siddhirganj upazila of Narayanganj on Friday over a hawker eviction drive, leaving at least five individuals injured, police and witnesses said. The incident took place around 6:00pm at Shimrail intersection. The injured were identified as Ripon, Khorshid, Abdul Hannan, Rubel and Rajib. Following the clash, agitated hawkers blocked a lane of the Dhaka–Chattogram highway for around 30 minutes, disrupting traffic movement on the busy route. Two workers die from toxic gas in Narayanganj water tank According to hawkers, they have been selling fruits and other goods in the Shimrail area for a long time. They alleged that some activists of Jatiotabadi Chatrodal (JCD) suddenly started an eviction drive on Friday evening without prior warning, during which they were assaulted and their goods were vandalised and looted. However, denying the allegations, former JCD leader Sifat-ur-Rahman Raju said the eviction was carried out to ease traffic congestion. He claimed that hawker Rubel assaulted a JCD member named Babul Hossain after a dispute over moving a table, prompting them to intervene. He also said they did not carry out any attack and that hawkers later blocked the highway, causing public suffering. Police from Siddhirganj Police Station brought the situation under control after receiving information. Sub-Inspector Zakirul Alam said the eviction attempt triggered a brief tension, and later hawkers blocked a lane of the highway, which was cleared after police intervention. He added that the victims were advised to file written complaints, and the situation is now normal.

A man was allegedly abducted by individuals posing as police members and critically injured in Magura Sadar upazila on Friday, police and witnesses said. The incident took place in the Gopalgram area around 2:00am when 4–5 unidentified individuals, introducing themselves as police personnel, reportedly took the victim from his home. The injured was identified as Md Sakam Mollah, son of the late Haji Abdur Wazed Mollah of Gopalgram area in Magura Sadar. He was later taken to a location near the west side of the Batajor village police box and assaulted with sharp weapons, including machetes, knives, iron rods and hammers, before being left beside a road in a seriously injured condition. Later, members of the Shatrujitpur police outpost rescued the victim after receiving information and admitted him to Magura 250-bed Hospital for treatment. Following the incident, the victim’s brother filed a case with Magura Sadar Police Station, naming Md Imdadul Mollah, son of Md Ibrahim Mollah of Gopalgram, and four to five unidentified persons as accused. According to the case statement, a long-standing land dispute between the two sides is believed to have led to the attack. Shatrujitpur Police Outpost Sub-Inspector Md Alamgir Hossain said police were alerted by a truck driver around 2:30am and rescued the injured man from the spot before sending him to hospital. He added that preliminary information suggests the involvement of Imdadul Mollah in the incident.

A bizarre incident has created sensation in Babuganj upazila of Barishal after a man, declared dead following a snakebite, was not buried as soon as possible, but rather his body was kept in state on the front yard of their home, as family members attempted to “revive” him through ritual healing. The deceased, HM Sayem (27), son of Syed Hawlader of Kalikapur village under Chandpasha union, was a covered van driver by profession. According to family and local sources, Sayem was bitten by a snake at the Bhanga Buniya canal area while returning home on foot after parking his vehicle on Thursday night. He managed to reach home but later fell critically ill due to venom effects. He was rushed to Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital around midnight, where doctors administered antivenom twice. However, he did not regain consciousness and was declared dead on Friday, hospital sources said. Instead of burying him, family members kept the body in the courtyard and called in snake charmers and traditional healers, hoping for what they believed could be a miraculous revival. The incident drew crowds of curious onlookers, creating tension and concern in the area. Relatives said they have not given up hope, believing that divine intervention could still bring him back. Barishal Civil Surgeon Dr Monjur A. Elahi said the victim was likely bitten by a highly venomous snake. He added that antivenom administered at hospital remains the only effective treatment for snakebite cases, and there is no scientific basis for ritual healing practices.

The body of a six-year-old girl was recovered from a sack in Brahmanbaria Sadar upazila on Friday, two days after she went missing, police said. The body was found around noon from an open area near a house in Mohonpur village under Talshohor Purba union of the upazila. The deceased, Nishat (6), was the daughter of Saudi expatriate Md Abu Sadeq Mia of Mohonpur village and a nursery student at a local kindergarten. The incident has triggered shock and outrage in the area. One killed, 10 injured in clash over khasland in Brahmanbaria Police, Detective Branch, RAB and PBI members have launched an investigation to uncover the motive behind the killing. Family members and locals said Nishat went missing on April 15 after leaving home to buy chips. A general diary was later filed at Brahmanbaria Sadar Police Station, but her whereabouts remained unknown. Later on Friday noon, a local youth went to catch chickens and noticed a sack near the victim’s house. Upon opening it, he found the body inside. The family identified the victim by her clothes after being informed. Locals have demanded immediate arrest of those responsible and exemplary punishment for the perpetrators. Brahmanbaria Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Shahidul Islam said police and other law enforcement agencies have started an investigation into the incident. The body has been sent to Brahmanbaria District Sadar Hospital morgue for an autopsy, and legal procedures are underway.

Two construction workers died on Friday after reportedly inhaling toxic gas inside a water tank of an under-construction building in Fatullah upazila of Narayanganj. The incident took place at noon in the Volail Gedder Bazar area of Kashipur, at a newly built building owned by Shahabuddin, locals said. The deceased were identified as Delwar Mridha (35), son of Altaf Mridha of Bhangra village under Bauphal upazila of Patuakhali, and Rana (22), son of Abdul Rahim of Palashbari upazila in Gaibandha. ‘Mugger’ lynched in Narayanganj Delwar was a mason by profession and father of a one-and-a-half-year-old son. Rana worked at a garment factory and had joined Delwar for construction work on his day off. He had been married only four months ago, according to family members. Locals said the accident occurred while shuttering work was being removed from the water tank, when the workers were exposed to accumulated toxic gas inside the structure. They soon developed breathing difficulties and lost consciousness. Fire service personnel rescued them from the spot and rushed them to Khanpur 300-bed Hospital, where doctors declared them dead on arrival. Duty doctor Shahadat Hossain said both had died before reaching the hospital, adding that the preliminary cause of death was likely suffocation due to toxic gas inside the tank.

Activists of the Awami League, whose party-related activities are banned, staged a sudden procession in the heart of Barishal city on Friday afternoon, demanding the lifting of the ban on the party’s activities and justice for the killing of police personnel. It triggered a brief period of tension in the area before returning to normal after police intervention. The procession took place around 2:30pm on Friday following Jumma prayers, starting from the Bibirpukur area and moving through the Kakoli Mor traffic police box in Sadar Road, the city’s central hub. Participants chanted various slogans during the march, eyewitnesses said. Tight security measures in place to ensure safe Eid travel: Barishal range DIG The banner carried by the processionists demanded the withdrawal of restrictions on Awami League political activities and justice for police killings, and also featured photographs of the party’s top leaders. Around 30 people took part in the procession, most of whom wore surgical masks while others covered their faces with black cloth or used sunglasses, making identification difficult. After briefly occupying the road and chanting slogans, the group dispersed into nearby alleys within minutes. Local sources, said the programme was organised under the initiative of former city corporation councillor Rajib Khan, although attempts to contact him and other organisers were unsuccessful. The incident created brief concern among residents, though no major disruption was reported. Law enforcement presence was initially limited during the event. Barishal Kotwali Model Police Station, Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md. Al Mamun-ul Islam said some unidentified activists of the banned student wing staged a sudden procession near the Kakoli Mor traffic box after Jumma prayers. “They left the scene quickly before police arrived. We are investigating the matter and working to identify those involved,” he said.

Two brothers were killed and another individual was critically injured in a mob attack after an eight-year-old missing girl was found dead in Sadar upazila of Manikganj on Thursday night. The deceased were identified as Pannu Mia, 48, an auto-rickshaw driver, and his brother Fazlu Rahman, 28. Pannu’s son Nazmul sustained critical injuries in the incident. According to locals, Atika, daughter of Dudul Mia of Bonparil, went missing around 5:00pm on Thursday, prompting her family to launch a frantic search, including announcements over loudspeakers and appeals on social media. A cousin of the victim later claimed she saw Nayeem, 15, younger son of Pannu Mia, taking the girl away. When confronted by locals, Nayeem allegedly confessed and indicated that the girl was in a nearby maize field. Around 10:00pm, locals rushed to the field and found the girl dead with her hands and legs tied, triggering outrage in the area. Nayeem managed to flee from the scene. Angry locals then swooped on his house and detained Pannu, Fazlu and Nazmul. They later gave them a good beating, leaving the former two dead on the spot and the latter injured. The injured was taken to hospital. On information, police rushed in and brought the situation under control. Superintendent of Police of the district Md Sarwar Alam said police were investigating the incident and had deployed additional forces in the area.

Two brothers drowned in a pond in Singra upazila of Natore on Friday. The victims were identified as Tamim, 12, and Fahim, 13, sons of expatriate Abdul Momin from Bara Adimpur village. According to locals, the two boys went to bathe in a pond beside their house around noon but went missing. Family members began searching when they did not return, and they were found floating in the pond around 2:30pm, said Officer-in-Charge of Singra Police Station Rafiqul Islam. The two brothers were taken to the Upazila Health Complex, where the on-duty doctor declared them dead, he said. A pall of gloom descended on the area following the tragic incident. The brothers had been living with their mother at their maternal grandparents’ home while their father works abroad.

A mobile court has sentenced 15 fishermen to different jail terms – ranging from 15 days to three months – for catching jatka in violation of the ongoing ban on fishing in the Padma-Meghna sanctuary area of Chandpur. The Department of Fisheries, Bangladesh Coast Guard and River Police conducted a joint drive in the sanctuary area of Sadar upazila from on Thursday afternoon, said Assistant Fisheries Officer Md Mizanur Rahman. During the drive, 22 fishermen were detained while catching Hilsa fry defying the ban. Five illegal current nets and five fishing boats were also seized. Of the detainees, 15 were sentenced to different jail terms through a mobile court. Fine was also slapped on some of them. Besides, six of the detainees were released on undertakings as they were minors, while another sick fisherman was released after realising Tk 500 as fine. The convicted fishermen were later sent to jail, said Inspector (Investigation) of Chandpur Sadar Model Police Station Mintu Dutta.