United News of Bangladesh

Several hundred people in Hatibandha upazila of Lalmonirhat are spending anxious hours as a tiger spotted near the Amjhol border in Gotamari union remains at large despite efforts to locate it. The tiger was detected by a drone camera around midnight on Sunday after it attacked three people, including a woman, in the border area on Sunday afternoon. However, it later moved out of the camera's range, making it difficult to track. The members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) is continuing drone surveillance to determine the animal's whereabouts, while a special team from the Forest Department is trying to rescue it safely. On Sunday, three people including a woman came under attack by tiger while the woman was attempting to save her goat from the tiger. All three injured victims were admitted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital for treatment. Following the attacks, hundreds of local residents spent a sleepless night keeping watch with sticks and other makeshift weapons in an attempt to protect themselves from the tiger. The BGB also fired several blank shots to drive it away. Local administration suspects that the tiger entered Bangladesh from India by crossing the border. Locals believe the animal could be a large leopard, although its exact species has yet to be confirmed. Authorities are continuing efforts to locate and safely capture the animal.

Police arrested a woman and seized 140 rounds of cartridges from a Dhaka-bound passenger bus in Raipura upazila of Narsingdi early Monday. The arrestee was identified as Swapna Akter, 42, widow of late Abdus Samad, hailing from Badughar area under Brahmanbaria Sadar upazila. A police team set up a special checkpoint on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway in Mahmudabad area following a tip-off. Around 4:20am, police intercepted an Ena Paribahan bus heading for Dhaka and recovered 140 cartridges from Swapna's possession, Md. Mojibur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge of Raipura Police Station said. A case has been filed with Raipura Police Station in this connection. Swapna was produced before a Narsingdi court on Monday afternoon following initial interrogation, while an investigation is underway to determine the origin and destination of the ammunition and identify any accomplices, the OC added.

Two employees of a real estate company went missing while taking a bath in the Padma River beneath the Padma Bridge in Louhajang upazila of Munshiganj on Monday. The missing people were identified as Md Maruf, 40, and Md Russel, 35, employees of Dhaka-based Sharif Landmarks Ltd. Maruf hailed from Khilgaon in Dhaka, while Russel was from Patuakhali. Muhammad Shafiqul Islam, deputy assistant director of Munshiganj Fire Service and Civil Defence, said eight employees of the real estate company went to Mawa to spend time. They went to the river to take a bath near pillar No. 4 at the Mawa end of the Padma Bridge around 2:20pm. At one stage, two of them were swept away by the strong current, while the other six managed to swim ashore. On receiving the information, divers from the local fire service station rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation. However, the missing people could not be traced till filing of this report at6:30pm.

A total of 21 platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have been deployed in Thakurgaon-1 constituency to ensure a peaceful by-election slated for October 29. Colonel Md Suruj Mia, BGB sector commander in Thakurgaon, told reporters on Monday that the personnel would work as mobile and striking forces to prevent any untoward incidents during the election. Drones, body-worn cameras and K-9 units have also been placed to strengthen security, while intelligence surveillance and patrols have been intensified. Colonel Suruj Mia said BGB personnel have been deployed in the constituency since Sunday across 22 unions and one municipality under three upazilas. He said the force remained on high alert to prevent unrest and violence and ensure voters could cast their votes without fear. The BGB is also working with the local administration and other law enforcement agencies to ensure a level playing field for all candidates, allowing them to campaign without obstruction, he added. Surveillance and patrols along the border have also been strengthened to prevent criminal activities, including smuggling, illegal border crossings and possible acts of sabotage. He also sought cooperation from local residents, political parties, candidates, the administration and the media to ensure a peaceful and orderly election. Meanwhile, the district administration has imposed restrictions on the presence of outsiders in the constituency. People who are neither residents nor registered voters of the constituency will not be allowed to remain in the area from 8:00am on October 27 until 4:00pm on October 30, except for those exempted under the order. The Thakurgaon-1 seat fell vacant after Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was elected president. Five candidates are contesting the by-election: Mirza Faisal Amin of the BNP; Delwar Hossain, representing Jamaat-e-Islami and like-minded parties; Md Khademul Islam of Islami Andolan Bangladesh; Md Abdul Alim Nizami of Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan; and Hussain Muhammad Omar Faruk of Bangladesh Congress.

A 63-year-old woman died while undergoing treatment after being severely beaten allegedly by her son over demands for money and the transfer of family property into his name in Zakiganj upazila of Sylhet. The deceased, Piara Begum, wife of late Faizul Islam of Pangabot village in Zakiganj municipal area, died at Sylhet M.A.G. Osmani Medical College Hospital around Sunday midnight. Four other family members were also seriously injured in the attack. Police arrested the prime accused, Sumon Ahmed, 32, from his home shortly after the incident. He was produced before Senior Judicial Magistrate Ibrahim Sarkar’s court in Zakiganj on Sunday, which ordered him to be sent to jail. According to police and family members, the incident followed an earlier altercation on Friday (October 23), when Sumon allegedly struck his stepmother Kutina Begum, 45, with a wooden pole, injuring her eyes. Piara later took Kutina to the house of another son, Shahin Ahmed, to protect her from further attacks. On Saturday night, around 11:00pm, Sumon again demanded money from family members and insisted that they transfer their land and property to his name. An altercation broke out, during which Sumon allegedly attacked them with a wooden stick, leaving his mother Piara, step mother Kutina, his brother Shahin, 38, Shahin’s wife Shahana Begum, 32, and their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Israt Jahan, injured. Local residents rescued the injured and took them to Zakiganj Upazila Health Complex for treatment. On Sunday morning, Shahin filed a case naming Sumon and another brother, Shamim Ahmed, 47, as accused. Muhammad Abdur Razzak, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Zakiganj Police Station, said a murder charge will be included in the case under the Penal Code following Piara’s death. Several other cases were also pending against Sumon at the police station, he said. Family members said Sumon had a history of drug abuse and frequently harassed them for money. Shahin said his wife and daughter are in critical condition.

The body of a man was recovered after fire raged through Aman plastic factory in Narikel Bagh area of Keraniganj in Dhaka on Monday. The fire broke out on  the ground floor of the seven-storey factory around 12:25 pm and spread to the 3rd floor, said Talha Bin Jashim, an official at the Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters. On information, seven firefighting units rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control around 2 pm and retrieved the body. UNB Keraniganj correspondent reports: 10-12 people were injured in the fire at the factory. Three of them were sent to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. Ruhul Quddus, Officer-in-Charge of Keraniganj Model Police Station the fire originated following an explosion apparently due to existence of flammable substances. The flames quickly spread from the ground floor to the fourth floor of the building, he said. Aman Hossain had been operating  business in the building for about a year. Local residents claimed that between 600 and 700 people, including a large number of women and children, were working inside the factory at the time of the incident.

A case has been filed against 100 people over an attack on police personnel and vandalism of a police vehicle in Gopalganj; seven of them were sent to jail by a court. Of the accused, 40 have been named in the case, while 60 others remain unidentified. Sub-Inspector Md Fulmia of Gopalganj Sadar Police Station filed the case on Sunday afternoon. Police arrested seven people in connection with the incident. After initial interrogation, they were produced before a Gopalganj court, which ordered that they be sent to the district jail. Md Aminul Islam, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Gopalganj Sadar Police Station, said members of the Jubo League and Chhatra League ( now facing ban on its aactivities) attacked police personnel in the Bedgram Kheyaghat area of Sadar upazila on Saturday. Three police officers were injured in the attack, and a police vehicle was vandalised, he added.

The bodies of a 15-year-old boy and his 14-year-old nephew were recovered from a pond in Amgaon village of Haripur upazila in Thakurgaon early Sunday. The victims were Umar Ali, 15, a seventh-grade student and son of Abdul Wahab Sarker, and his nephew Miraj, 14, son of Imran Ali. Both were residents of Amgaon village. Family members said Umar and Miraj left home on a bicycle on Saturday afternoon. When they did not return by evening, their relatives began searching for them. Later that night, locals found their bicycles near a large pond in the area and informed the Fire Service. Following the report, Fire Service personnel rushed to the spot and began searching. The bodies of the two teenagers were recovered in the early hours of Sunday. Although the exact circumstances of the incident remain unclear, it is suspected that the two may have slipped and fallen into the pond while riding the bicycle. Unable to swim, they may have drowned. Abdul Hakim Azad, officer-in-charge (OC) of Haripur Police Station, said the bodies were handed over to their families.

Three people were injured in a tiger attack after the animal reportedly crossed into Bangladesh from India near the Amjhol border in Hatibandha upazila of Lalmonirhat on Sunday evening. The injured were identified as Sharifa Begum, Afsar Hossain and Nazrul Islam, all residents of Amjhol village. Locals said Sharifa went to the Amjhol border area, under the jurisdiction of the Bonchouki Border Outpost (BOP) in Gotamari Union, on Sunday evening to look for a goat. After spotting the goat grazing, she approached it and was attacked by the tiger. Afsar and Nazrul were also injured when they tried to rescue her. The three were rescued and taken to a local hospital before being transferred to Rangpur Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment. Lieutenant Colonel Mehedi Imam, commander of the Lalmonirhat 15 BGB Battalion, said three villagers sustained injuries following a tiger attack. He said the Forest Department had been informed and security in the area had been strengthened.

An assistant teacher of a government primary school was beaten to death allegedly by a group of people on Sunday afternoon he intervened in a dispute among neighbours over land in Chirirbandar upazila of Dinajpur. The deceased was identified as Monoranjan Roy, assistant teacher of East Sukhdebpur Governemnt Primary School in Chirirbandar upazila and son of Ashim Chandra Roy of Sonapukur Majhipara in the upazila. Anwar Hossain, Additional Superintendent of Dinajpur Police, said an altercation ensued between Roman and his neighbour Asaduzzaman and his supporters over a disputed land at Naya Mollapara village in the upazila around 2 pm. At one stage, Monoranjan appeared there and tried to quell the situation. Later, Asaduzzaman along with his supporters beat up Monoranjan with tree branches and sticks leaving him dead on the spot, said a press release issued by district police media cell. Roman later informed the matter to police through the national emergency number 999. On information, police from Parbatipur Police Station rushed in and brought the situation under control. Police also detained Asaduzzaman, 32 in this connection. A tense situation has been prevailing in the area over the issue and surveillance by plainclothes intelligence officers was strengthened.