United News of Bangladesh

The upazila administration of Jhikargacha in Jashore has seized six trucks loaded with soil and one excavator involved in illegal soil excavation and sand extraction. Zahiduzzaman, an excavator operator, was fined Tk 1 lakh during the operation. The six trucks were later released upon a written undertaking. The seizures and fines were carried out on Tuesday morning through mobile court operations led by Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and Executive Magistrate Bhupali Sarkar in various areas of the upazila. Read more: Nine arrested, three dredgers seized in Chandpur for illegal sand extraction UNO Bhupali Sarkar confirmed the information and said that a mobile court was conducted following a tip-off about illegal sand extraction. An excavator was seized from the banks of the Barbakpur Kopotakkho river, and the operator was fined Tk 1 lakh and he would face three months of imprisonment in default, she added. Meanwhile, locals have lauded the administration’s efforts to protect the environment and enforce the law against such unlawful activities.

One person was killed, and four others were injured in a clash over loan repayment in Dakshin Kalinagar village of Nalitabari upazila, Sherpur, police said on Wednesday. The incident ocurred on Tuesday night. The deceased, Delwar Hossain (45), was a fish trader and son of the late Torab Ali of the same area. Sohel Rana, Officer-in-Charge of Nalitabari Police Station said, "Delwar Hossain was killed in an attack by rivals over a dispute regarding interest on a loan. Efforts are underway to arrest the accused." Read more: 6 killed in separate road accidents in Naogaon, Gazipur, Munshiganj According to police and local sources, the conflict arose between rickshaw puller Tara Mia, a borrower, and the three sons of deceased Abdus Samad—Sheikh Farid, Alam, and Rabiul—who were the lenders. During the altercation, Delwar Hossain, Tara Mia's cousin, intervened to stop the quarrel but was fatally injured along with others after being attacked with sharp weapons by the opposing group. Locals rushed the injured to Nalitabari Upazila Health Complex. Due to the severity of Delwar's condition, he and another critically injured person were referred to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. Delwar succumbed to his injuries on the way, and duty doctors declared him dead upon arrival.

The body of a Bangladeshi man was found in the Gournagar area of India’s Tripura, two days after he went missing from his home in Habiganj.  Zahur Ali (60), son of Mansub Ullah of Paschim Dulna village in Chunarughat upazila, was found dead on Monday, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) confirmed on Tuesday.  BGB Habiganj battalion Commander Lt Col Tanzil said that Zahur Ali, who reportedly had mental health issues, crossed into India through the Manikbhandar area near the Guibil border outpost on Monday.  Later that day, locals in Gournagar area in Tripura spotted a body lying by the roadside and informed Indian police. Officers from Khowai police station recovered the body and transported it to Khowai District Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.  Tension erupts between BGB and BSF over fence construction at Chouka Border Zahur’s family and locals said he worked as a security guard for a company in Dhaka and had returned to his village on leave on January 4. The next day, he left home with clothes, saying he intended to sell them, but never returned. Indian media outlets reported the discovery of Zahur's body on Monday and locals in his village identified him from social media posts on Tuesday morning.  Khowai Police Station in India has launched an investigation regarding the cause of his death.  BGB said that Zahur’s body would be handed over to Bangladeshi authorities following the investigation.

The River Police have arrested nine people, including three dredgers and two bulkheads, for illegally extracting sand from the Meghna River in Chandpur. The River Police conducted operations across various locations within the Chandpur from Monday night to Tuesday morning. In the evening, a source from the River Police informed UNB that nine people had been arrested during the operations conducted at different points along the Meghna River. Separate cases were filed against them, and they were sent to jail through the court in the afternoon. Abdullah Al Mamun, the Additional Superintendent of Police for the Chandpur region's River Police, told UNB, "In the last two months, 30 cases have been filed, and around fifty people involved in this racket have been arrested. Additionally, more than 30 dredgers have been seized."

Tension has erupted between the BGB and BSF, the frontier guards of Bangladesh and India respectively, during tre last two days at the Chouka border in Chapainawabganj, centered around the construction of a barbed wire fence. However, the BGB states that the situation is now calm. According to BGB and local sources, BSF members from the Sabdalpur BSF camp of Gopalganj police station in India's Malda district began constructing a barbed wire fence along the border at border pillars 177/1S, 2S, and 3S on Sunday morning. The BGB members intervened, leading to a flag meeting between both sides in the afternoon, but no solution was reached. On Monday, when the BSF resumed the fence construction, the BGB again intervened. After this, the BSF halted the construction of the road. This has caused panic among the local population. Local Union Parishad member Kamal Uddin stated that the BSF was putting up the barbed wire fence along the zero line at around 10am on Monday when the BGB intervened. This has led to heightened tension in the area. Import of Indian goods resumes through Akhaura land port Lieutenant Colonel Golam Kibria, the commander of the 59th BGB battalion, said, “The BSF had started digging for the barbed wire fence, but after the BGB intervention, they stopped the work. The situation is now calm. Additional BGB members have been deployed at the border.” He assured that there is no reason for the general public to be afraid.

Five tons of cumin have been imported through the Akhaura land port in Brahmanbaria. An Indian truck carrying cumin arrived at the Akhaura land port at 6:15pm on Monday evening. This is the first consignment of imported goods for the 2024-25 fiscal year, marking the resumption of normal import trade at the port. According to port sources, no goods were imported from India through the port from July to December of the current 2024-25 fiscal year. On Monday, a company named M/s Porshi Impex imported 5 tons of cumin from India. The Indian company M.T. Exim Private Limited exported this cumin at a price of $3.49 per kilogram. Md. Mahmudul Hasan, Assistant Director of Akhaura Land Port, said that imports through the port have been irregular for a long time. This is the first time cumin has been imported this fiscal year, marking the resumption of import trade, he added.  

Three people were killed and another one injured when a truck rammed into an auto-rickshaw at Kanchanpur in Kaliakoir upazila of Gazipur district on Tuesday. The deceased were identified as Ayon Roy, son of Gopal Chandra Roy, Sudeb Das, son of Basudeb Das, and Karim Mia, auto-rickshaw driver of Kaliakoir upazila of the district. Quoting witnesses, police said the accident occurred around 4 pm, when the brick-laden truck hit the auto-rickshaw, leaving one killed on the spot and three others injured, said sub-inspector Zahid Hasan of Kaliakoir Police Station. Road crash leaves 2 dead in Naogaon The injured were taken to Tangail Mirzapur Kumudini Hospital where the doctors declared two of them dead. Another injured victim identified as Ripon Mia was referred to Fazilatunnesa Hospital for better treatment. Police seized the truck but could not arrest anyone.

The BNP has expelled a leader of the Swechhasebak Dal, the party's volunteers wing, for physically assaulting the former Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Kotwali Police Station under Chattogram Metropolitan Police. The expelled leader, Shahidul Islam Shahid, was the General Secretary of the Swechhasebak Dal of the Chakbazar Thana unit. The decision to expel him was announced in a statement signed by the President of the Metropolitan Swechhasebak Dal, HM Rashed Khan, and General Secretary Belayet Hossain Bulu on Tuesday today. The statement also mentioned that Shahidul Islam Shahid was expelled from the primary membership. Earlier, on Monday afternoon, Shahidul Islam Shahid and the Assistant Organizing Secretary of the South District Swechhasebak Dal, Nur Hossain, physically assaulted and harassed Police Officer Nezam Uddin near the Passport Office area of the city's Panchlaish Police Station. Several other leaders and activists were present with at the time. Later, upon receiving the news, Panchlaish police took Nezam Uddin into custody. Meanwhile, Swechhasebak Dal leader Shahidul Islam Shahid went live on his Facebook account. In the live video, he said, "Everyone come to the front of Panchlaish Police Station, we are catching OC Nezam." Upon hearing this, over a hundred BNP and allied organization leaders and activists gathered in front of Panchlaish Police Station. They protested and surrounded the station demanding the arrest of Nezam. To control the situation, additional police forces were deployed at the spot. Regarding the incident, Hasib Aziz, Chattogram Metropolitan Police Commissioner, told UNB, “There are laws for anyone who commits a crime. The public humiliation of a police officer cannot be accepted. Legal action will be taken against the accused in this matter.”

Two people were killed in a road accident on the Naogaon-Mohadevpur regional highway in Mohadevpur upazila of Naogaon on Tuesday morning. The deceased were Fardin Hossain, son of Manik Hossain from South Hosainpur village in Mohadevpur upazila, and Rezuan Islam, son of Shariful Islam from Shyampur village. Hashmat Ali, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Mohadevpur Police Station, said Fardin and Rezuan were returning to Mohadevpur from Naogaon sadar on a motorcycle at around 10 am. The motorbike crashed into a truck parked by the roadside, leaving Fardin Hossain dead on the spot, he said. Rezuan was rescued and taken to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital where he died while undergoing treatment. The OC said the bodies will be handed over to their families for burial after the legal process.

A 15-year-old girl has reportedly been gang raped in Chakaria upazila of Cox’s Bazar district. Police arrested three people in connection with the crime from Badarkhali union on Monday. The arrestees were Md Bashir, 38, son of Izzat Ali of Tutiakhali Para, Md Shahjahan, 27, son of Abdus Sobhan of Dhemushiapara, Md Kajal, 23, son of Md Ishak of College Para under Badarkhali union of Chakaria upazila. A case was filed with Chakaria Police Station. According to the case statement, the girl was heading towards her Banshkhali residence around 10 pm on Sunday. She took a CNG-run auto-rickshaw  at Badarkhali Bazar to go to Banshkhali. The driver of the vehicle requested the girl to get down from his vehicle following a technical glitch. At one stage, some miscreants appeared there and took the girl to Paraban after taking her hostage at gunpoint. Later they violated the girl. Local people found the girl in an unconscious condition and took her to a hospital. She is now undergoing treatment at the one-stop crisis centre of Cox’s Bazar Medical College and Hospital, said police. Police also arrested three people in connection with the  rape, said Manjur Kader Bhuiya, officer-in-charge of Chakaria Police Station.