United News of Bangladesh

Police on Friday recovered the body of a fisherman from the Arial Kha River in Bhanga upazila of Faridpur, three days after he went missing. The deceased was identified as Nirmal Malo, 60, a resident of Gharua village in the upazila. Family members said Nirmal went out to fish in the river on April 29 morning but did not return home in the evening. Despite frantic searches, his whereabouts remained unknown. Later, his wife Rina Malo filed a general diary with Bhanga Police Station over his disappearance. Rina said locals informed her on Friday afternoon after spotting a body floating in the river. Moshiur Rahman, Sub-Inspector of Bhanga Police Station, said police recovered the body after being informed by locals. He added that the body will be sent to Faridpur Medical College Hospital morgue on Saturday for an autopsy. Legal action will be taken accordingly if a complaint is filed by the victim’s family, he said.

Electricity generation has resumed at Unit 1 of Barapukuria Thermal Power Plant after a six-day shutdown. The unit is currently supplying around 55 to 60 megawatts of electricity to the national grid, raising hopes of easing load shedding in the northern region. Chief Engineer Abu Bakkar Siddique said production at the power plant resumed at 10 pm on Friday. The plant, which has a total capacity of 525 megawatts across three units, brought its 125-megawatt Unit 1 back online after necessary repairs, he added. The unit had been shut down on April 25 due to a ruptured boiler pipe. Meanwhile, maintenance work is ongoing at the 275-megawatt Unit 3, which is expected to resume operations by mid-May. Once operational, it will further boost electricity supply to the national grid.  The authorities have also decided to repair and restart Unit 2, another 125-megawatt unit that has remained out of service for the past five years. Barapukuria Thermal Power Plant was established in 2006 to ensure the use of coal from the nearby Barapukuria coal mine and to support irrigation needs in eight agriculture-dependent northern districts. Initially, the plant began operations with two 125-megawatt units, and a third unit with a capacity of 275 megawatts was added in 2017.

Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) recovered Indian drugs and smuggled medicines in separate operations along the Maheshpur border in Jhenaidah on Friday. Munshi Imdadur Rahman, Assistant Director of Moheshpur Battalion, (58 BGB), was confirmed the information by a press release on Friday afternoon. According to the release, a patrol team from Rajapur BOP under Maheshpur Battalion conducted a drive led by Nayeb Subedar Tapas Sarkar. During the operation, they recovered 35 bottles of Indian Eskuf syrup and a motorcycle abandoned on a paved road in front of the house of one Monirul Islam at Singnagar village, about 2 km inside Bangladesh from border pillar 72/4-S. Drugs worth over Tk 37 lakh seized in BGB operation along Kushtia border No one was arrested in connection with the seizure. In another operation in the area under Shyamkur BOP, a BGB team led by Havildar Md Eklim conducted a search about 100 yards inside Bangladesh from border pillar 60/105-S. The team recovered 1,040 pieces of Indian medicines from a bamboo grove belonging to one Abdul Malek in Milebariya village. The estimated value of the seized smuggled goods is Tk 3.12 lakh, according to BGB. No arrests were made in this connection either. Assistant Director Munshi Imdadur Rahman, said BGB will continue its hard stance and patrol activities to prevent smuggling and drug trafficking along the border.

Around 7,000 hectares of cropland have been submerged in Kishoreganj following several days of continuous rainfall, causing extensive damage to standing crops, officials and farmers said. A total of 160 millimetres of rainfall has been recorded in the district during the period, leaving vast areas of haor land underwater and destroying crops in many fields. Farmers said paddy that was due to be harvested within days is now submerged, washing away their hopes after months of cultivation. Unplanned embankments worsen flooding in Sunamganj haors; massive crop losses reported

Unplanned embankments and heavy rainfall have worsened waterlogging in Sunamganj’s haor basin, causing widespread damage to Boro paddy and triggering concern among farmers and experts over recurring agricultural losses in the region. Haor movement leader and farmer Professor Chittaranjan Talukdar (70) said the current season reflects a recurring pattern of severe waterlogging, locally described as “kachaira” years, which reappear periodically and devastate crops. “This year is another kachaira year. Earlier people could not realise the scale of losses due to lack of communication, but now it is visible,” he said, adding that unplanned embankments and blocked drainage channels have turned haors into “water pockets.” He alleged that annual embankment construction using huge amounts of soil has filled natural water bodies, canals and rivers, severely disrupting drainage systems. He also criticised the lack of long-term planning for haor management. Agricultural researcher Sajal Kanti Sarkar, however, pointed to a different factor, saying the use of hybrid and high-yielding rice varieties has delayed harvesting, increasing vulnerability to early floods. He said traditional rice varieties used in haor areas used to mature earlier and were less exposed to flood damage. He agreed, however, that blocked drainage caused by embankments has worsened water retention in the region. Water Development Board data shows that river levels in the Surma rose sharply this year compared to last year. Between April 27 and 30, rainfall and river water levels increased significantly, with heavy rainfall recorded across multiple haor-adjacent points, including 133mm at Laurerergarh, 76mm at Chatak, 137mm at Sunamganj, and 205mm at Dirai within 24 hours. In contrast, rainfall during the same period last year was minimal, allowing around 83 percent of paddy to be harvested by April 29. This year, only about 44.5 percent of paddy has been harvested, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension. Officials estimate around 9,548 hectares of paddy have been submerged so far, but farmers and haor activists claim the actual damaged area is far higher, exceeding 60,000 hectares. In Jamalganj and Dirai upazilas’ Pagnar haor, farmers said flooding began early, and disputes over embankment cutting even led to clashes before Eid-ul-Fitr. Large portions of both standing and harvested crops are now submerged. Farmers described severe losses, with many saying they are unable to recover their investment. “Around Tk 5 lakh worth of paddy has been lost. It will take years to recover,” said one farmer, adding that hopes of repaying loans have been shattered. Another farmer said even harvesting and drying areas are now under water, making further collection impossible. Haor Banchao Andolan General Secretary Bijn Sen Roy said unplanned embankments have worsened drainage and caused recurring flooding. He estimated crop losses at around Tk 1,000 crore, though government figures put it at about Tk 200 crore, which he said does not reflect reality. Sunamganj Water Development Board Executive Engineer-2 Md Imdadul Haque said rainfall has recently decreased and water levels showed slight improvement on Thursday, but waterlogging remains in most haor areas. Department of Agricultural Extension Deputy Director Md Omar Faruq said recent adverse weather delayed harvesting, leading to crop submergence, and warned that final losses are likely to increase. A detailed assessment is underway.

Police have cracked the mystery behind the murder of a seven-year-old missing girl in Faridpur, arresting three suspects soon after the recovery of her body. The arrested are Israfil Mridha, 24, Sheikh Amin, 19, and Nasima Begum, 45. They were arrested during a drive on Thursday afternoon, said Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle) Ajmir Hossain at a press conference at Kotwali Police Station on Friday morning. Accused in Faridpur triple murder case arrested According to police and locals, Irin Akhter Bina, daughter of Baka Mia Biswas, was a student of Bokail Government Primary School. She went missing on April 24 from her home in Bakhunda Purbapara area under Gerda union in Sadar upazila. A general diary (GD) was filed with Kotwali Police Station the following day, and announcements were made locally through miking. Six days later, on Thursday morning, locals discovered a body in a banana plantation after noticing a foul smell. Family members later identified the victim as Irin. Police recovered the body and sent it to Faridpur Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy. A murder case was subsequently filed, and an investigation was launched by police and Detective Branch (DB). Investigators found that the main accused – Israfil Mridha – allegedly lured the child to an abandoned tin-shed room of Ashrayan Kendra with the promise of chocolate. He then attempted to rape her and later strangled her when she threatened to inform her family, police said. To conceal the crime, he reportedly hid the body in a septic tank of a nearby house. A few days later, the house owner, Nasima Begum, noticed a problem with the toilet and informed her family members. Upon opening the tank, they found the body. Police said Nasima Begum later asked her son Sheikh Amin and another son Rahman to remove the body, fearing that they might be held responsible for the murder. They allegedly placed it in a plastic drum and dumped it in the banana plantation to avoid identification. Police recovered the victim’s clothes, sandals, the drum used to transport the body and a blanket from the scene. “As the incident is very sensitive, we are conducting the investigation with utmost importance,” said Ajmir Hossain, adding that the accused were identified and arrested quickly using information technology and intelligence inputs.

A Class-IX student has been hacked to death in Muktagacha upazila of Mymensingh district following a clash between two groups at a local fair. The deceased was identified as Siam, 14, a student of Mankon High School and son of Abdus Salam of Shibpur village in the upazila. The incident occurred around 8:30pm on Thursday at a Baishakhi fair held on the grounds of Podur Bari High School. According to police and family members, the altercation erupted between friends, which quickly escalated into a clash between two groups. Officer-in-Charge of Muktagacha Police Station Quamrul Islam said Siam was attacked on the head with bamboo sticks and locally made weapons during the clash, leaving him critically injured. He was initially taken to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital where he was referred to Dhaka. However, he died on the way. Police said drives are underway to arrest those involved in the incident.

A farmer was killed after a goods-laden truck lost control and overturned into a chilli field in Sadar upazila of Lalmonirhat on Friday morning. The deceased was identified as Monser Ali, 63, son of Poyer Ullah of the Chini Para Airport area under Mahendranagar union of the upazila. According to police and witnesses, Monser Ali went to inspect his chilli field beside his house in the morning. At that time, a goods-laden truck travelling from Rangpur to Lalmonirhat lost control and overturned on the roadside. The farmer was crushed under the truck and died on the spot. Following the incident, angry local residents caught the driver and his assistant, and staged a road blockade, demanding safer roads. The blockade continued for around an hour, causing disruption on the Lalmonirhat-Rangpur highway, before police arrived at the scene and brought the situation under control. Police also recovered the body and handed it over to the family without autopsy, said Officer-in-Charge of Lalmonirhat Sadar Police Station Saad Ahmed. He added that the detained driver and helper were also released as the victim’s family had no complaint.

The flood situation in Habiganj has deteriorated over the past 24 hours till Friday morning, with rising water levels submerging vast Boro paddy fields and seasonal vegetables across the district. Continuous upstream water flow from India’s Tripura, coupled with heavy rainfall, has caused water levels in all major rivers in the district to swell, leading to fresh inundation of low-lying haor areas. According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), a total of 11,538 hectares of Boro paddy and 55 hectares of summer vegetables across nine upazilas have been affected by floodwaters. Of the affected cropland, around 5,623 hectares have been completely damaged, while 5,915 hectares have suffered partial damage. The worst-affected upazilas include Baniachong, where about 3,350 hectares of cropland have been damaged, followed by Lakhai with 2,370 hectares, Ajmiriganj with 2,070 hectares, and Nabiganj with 2,020 hectares affected. On Wednesday night, a 50-metre section of an embankment on the Khowai River in Sujatpur area of Baniachong upazila collapsed, inundating vast areas. Affected farmers said the flooding occurred just days before they harvest paddy, leaving them devastated.

Two journalists were injured in an attack carried out by a group of criminals at Baten Khan intersection in Chapainawabganj district town on Thursday night. The injured are Channel 1 correspondent Tarique Rahman and Mytv correspondent Tarique Aziz. The victims said they were gossiping at the intersection around 10:15pm after finishing office work when a group of 6-7 people, led by listed criminal Rabbi, swooped on them. Tarique Rahman was reportedly dragged onto the street and beaten for about 30 minutes, while Tarique Aziz suffered serious injuries after being struck with a broken teacup, which cut his finger. Locals later rescued them and took them to Chapainawabganj District Hospital. The motive behind the attack remained unclear. Officer-in-Charge of Chapainawabganj Sadar Model Police Station Ekramul Hossain said both journalists had visible injury marks. He added that police visited the scene, and drives are underway to apprehend those involved. Rabbi is accused in multiple cases, including murder, police said.