United News of Bangladesh

Police arrested four alleged terrorists along with firearms, ammunition, and domestic weapons during a special operation in the remote hilly terrain of Jungle Salimpur in Sitakunda upazila of Chattogram. District police conducted the drive on Thursday in the Alinagar Bahadur Ghona area of Jungle Salimpur based on secret intelligence. Details of the raid were disclosed by Additional Superintendent of Police Junaid Kawsar during a press conference at Sitakunda Model Police Station on Friday noon. The arrested individuals were identified as Md. Russel, Md. Morshed, Mohammad Babu, and Md. Sabbir. All four are accused in multiple robbery and terrorism cases and have long been involved in extortion and criminal activities, police said. During the drive, police recovered a foreign Chinese pistol, a shotgun, six lead cartridges, nine rounds of bullets, a spear (teda), a machete (chapati), an iron cutter, and a handwritten list used for collecting extortion money. "Conducting drives in Jungle Salimpur is challenging due to its vast hilly area, dense jungle, and difficult communication system," Additional SP Junaid Kawsar said. "Overcoming the adverse topography, officers identified the target based on intelligence and conducted the operation with caution and strategy, leading to the arrest of the four individuals."

Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir on Friday said the agreement on the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) at Chattogram Port was aimed at increasing the terminal’s capacity and efficiency. He said the agreement was for a fixed term, after which Bangladesh could either renew it or end it. Describing the deal as “selling out the country” was a cheap and baseless claim, he added. The minister made the remarks while responding to journalists after an exchange meeting and a grant distribution ceremony organised by Sylhet City Corporation to mark Durga Puja. The responsibility for operating the NCT, the largest terminal at Chattogram Port, has been given to Dubai-based global terminal operator DP World. The 15-year concession agreement was formally signed on Thursday, drawing criticism from various quarters. Replying to questions from journalists, Muktadir said Bangladesh must make its production and export costs competitive with those of other countries to attract foreign investment and new investment from domestic entrepreneurs. “If the government cannot make Bangladesh competitive in the global market, how can it attract investment?” he asked. He said the government wanted to improve efficiency at Chattogram Port to achieve this goal, adding that the agreement was signed specifically to improve the country’s operational efficiency. Muktadir assured that no one currently working at the port would lose their job. He said improved efficiency would bring greater benefits to workers, including higher remuneration than they currently receive.

Immigration police arrested a man accused in a murder case while he was attempting to leave the country through the Darshana Immigration Checkpost in Chuadanga on Friday afternoon. Accused Md Mahbub Alam, 49, was subject to a travel ban, said Sub-Inspector Tuhin Mia, in-charge of Darshana Immigration Police. According to immigration police, Mahbub Alam is the son of Ansar Sheikh of Jugia Dargapara area in Kushtia Sadar upazila. He is an accused in a murder case and a ward-level Awami League leader. He is barred from travelling abroad in connection with a case filed with Kushtia Sadar Police Station.

A parcel sent from Saudi Arabia was found to be 10.20kg lighter than its recorded weight after reaching the Brahmanbaria Head Post Office. Md Atiqur Rahman, a resident of West Paikpara in Brahmanbaria town, claimed that goods worth a substantial amount were missing from the parcel that arrived in his name at the post office. He also alleged that the postmaster behaved rudely when he raised the issue. Atiqur said a carton containing dates, lotion, cream, soap, chocolate and shoes was sent to him from Saudi Arabia with a recorded weight of 29.90kg. He received a phone call from the Brahmanbaria Post Office on Sunday (October 4) to collect the parcel. When he went to receive it the following day, he found that the carton was torn on two sides. Although the parcel was marked as weighing 29.90kg, the post office scale showed only 19.70kg, indicating a shortfall of 10.20kg. Atiqur alleged that he was asked to pay Tk 7,988 in duties and other charges to receive the parcel despite the damaged condition of the carton. He eventually paid the amount on the advice of postal officials present and opened the parcel. He then found that all the packages inside had been opened and most of the contents, including premium dates, lotions, creams, soaps and chocolates, were missing. Or so he claimed. Jinat Rehana, postmaster of the Brahmanbaria Head Post Office, said the parcel had arrived in a torn condition and that the office could do little about it. She also said an official note had been made regarding its condition. Atiqur further alleged that when he tried to lodge a complaint about the missing goods, the postmaster behaved rudely and said parcels often arrived in such a condition. He claimed that she was reluctant to accept his written complaint and refused to stamp the receipt copy. He also alleged that an unidentified person from the post office called him after he returned home and warned him against pursuing the matter further. The victim  Atiqur has submitted a written complaint at the post office demanding compensation for the missing goods. However, Jinat Rehana denied the allegations against the post office staff. “None of our officers or staff members opened the parcel. We received the consignment exactly as it arrived from Chattogram. We have informed the higher authorities about the discrepancy in weight,” she said.

Police recovered the body of a college student stuffed in a sack from a water body in Rajbari Sadar upazila on Thursday evening, three days after he went missing. The deceased was identified as Chowdhury Fuad Hasan, also known as Rohan, 19, son of Farhad Chowdhury of Raghunathpur village under Dadshee union in the upazila and a third-year student at a private technical institute in Rajbari. According to family, Rohan received a phone call while having lunch on October 5 and left home in a hurry after finishing his meal. As he did not return by 4:00pm, his family members called him, but both his mobile phones were found switched off. After searching for him among relatives, friends and acquaintances without success, the family filed a general diary (GD) with Rajbari Sadar Police Station on October 6. Locals spotted a sack floating in a pond about 500 yards from Rohan’s home around 5:30pm on Thursday. Suspecting something unusual after noticing a foul smell from the sack, they pushed it with a stick and saw a human leg protruding from inside. They then informed police. Police reached the spot and recovered the body around 6:00pm. Family members later identified it as Rohan’s. Rajbari Superintendent of Police Mir Monir Hossain said the body was placed inside one sack, while another sack filled with soil was tied to it before the two were dumped into the pond. He said the body apparently became swollen and caused the sack to float to the surface, leading locals to spot it. The SP also said they were investigating the incident.

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo on Friday said strict action will be taken against those responsible for the theft of lemurs from the Gazipur Safari Park. He also directed the officials concerned to ensure proper care of the animals at the park. The minister made the remarks while talking to journalists after visiting Bhawal National Park and the Gazipur Safari Park in the morning. He said the development of Bhawal National Park is being carried out with priority given to wildlife conservation. Initiatives will also be taken soon to make the park more attractive to visitors, Mintoo said. Three lemurs were stolen from the Gazipur Sadari Park on the night of March 23, 2025. Two of the animals have reportedly been smuggled out of Bangladesh and found at a wildlife centre in a neighbouring country.

The DNA of the two suspects arrested in connection with the murders of former schoolteacher Ganapati Chakraborty and his family members in Rangpur has showed a “statistical match” to DNA collected from different pieces of evidence found at the scene, police have said. Samples collected from date seeds, bitten cucumber pieces and cigarette filters found at the spot showed a match in laboratory tests, Rangpur Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (Detective Branch) Sonaton Chakroborty said on Thursday night. “Tests on the DNA samples collected from Siddhartha Das and Mugdha Das at the CID Forensic Lab in Dhaka matched the DNA found in the evidence,” he said. According to sources, forensic tests had earlier detected male DNA in the date seeds, cucumber pieces and cigarette filters, but investigators had yet to identify whose DNA it was. The samples were subsequently compared with those collected from the two suspects. On August 22, the bodies of Ganapati, 65, a former teacher of Rangpur Zilla School, his wife Pritilata Chakraborty Bala, 50, daughter Agami Chakraborty Prarthi, 25, and son Ayush Chakraborty Priyam, 12, were recovered from their locked home in Machhuapara of Rangpur city. Within six hours of the murders, police arrested two suspects, Mugdha and Siddharth. The two suspects were taken from Rangpur Central Jail to Dhaka on the night of September 20, and their DNA samples were collected at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) office the following day. Investigators collected more than 35 pieces of evidence from the scene, including a fruit knife, foil used for Yaba consumption, cigarette ends, cucumbers, dates, marks on a washbasin and writing found in a notebook belonging to one of the deceased children. The items were sent for forensic examination in several phases. Police had earlier said the suspects stayed inside the house after the killings and ate dates and cucumbers. The DB is investigating the incident.

Police arrested an alleged member of the criminal gang, led by listed top criminal Roni Chowdhury Babu alias “Grenade Babu”, with a foreign-made pistol and two rounds of ammunition in Rupsha upazila of Khulna early Friday. The arrestee was identified as Raju Moral, an alleged member of the criminal gang “Grenade Babu Group” and son of Iman Ali Moral of Ramnagar village in the upazila. He was arrested from the village around 5:00am, said Khulna Additional Superintendent of Police Shiful Islam. According to police and locals, Raju had been absconding for a long time and returned home on Thursday night. Acting on information about his return, police raided the house and arrested him with the firearm and ammunition. Khulna Superintendent of Police Sarker Omar Faroque said Raju is an accused in the Mamun Mir murder case and had long been sought by police. “After confirming his location based on a tip-off, we arrested him,” he said. Describing Raju as an active member of the “Grenade Babu Group”, the SP said he is being extensively questioned, and police have obtained important information from him.

Police detained 252 individuals during a special drive against juvenile gangs across Cumilla district on Thursday night. The drive was conducted simultaneously in all 18 police stations of the district from the evening. Different units of the district police and Detective Branch (DB) jointly conducted the operation under the direction of Superintendent of Police Md Anisuzzaman, police said. Different areas identified as hotspots for juvenile gang activities were brought under the drive, with senior police officials also taking part directly. Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration and Finance) Md Lutfar Rahman said police were verifying the detainees’ possible involvement in criminal activities. Necessary legal action will be taken against them after the verification, he said, adding that regular drives are being conducted to prevent young people from becoming involved in criminal activities. At the same time, strict monitoring is being maintained to ensure that no innocent person is harassed in the name of such drives, Lutfar said. The drives to prevent juvenile crime will continue, he added.

A police inspector was seriously injured in a machete attack by suspected muggers in Khulna city early Friday. According to police, three unidentified muggers intercepted Shah Alam, 43, an inspector posted at Khulna Police Lines, in front of Collegiate School under Khulna Sadar Police Station around 2:30am while he was returning after taking part in a special police operation in Rupsha upazila. The attackers took away his mobile phone and money before hacking him above both wrists with machetes, leaving him seriously injured. The police officer was initially taken to Khulna Medical College Hospital. As his condition deteriorated, he was referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Additional Superintendent of Police of Khulna Shiful Islam said legal action is being taken in connection with the attack.