United News of Bangladesh

Police recovered the body of an autorickshaw driver stashed inside a gunny sack from a river in Barishal on Monday, two days after he went missing. The deceased was identified as Nazmul Hossain, 25, son of Abdul Rashid Molla of Makorkathi area under Raipasha-Karapur Union in Barishal Sadar upazila. According to family members, Nazmul left home with his autorickshaw on Saturday morning but did not return. As he remained missing, his father filed a general diary (GD) with Barishal Airport Police Station on Sunday. Locals said they spotted a body floating near the eastern bank of the Kalijira River in the morning, partially wrapped inside a sack. They immediately informed police. A team from Kotwali Model Police Station rushed to the spot and recovered the body. Alok Kanti Sharma, Assistant Commissioner of Barishal Kotwali Model Police Station, said the body was sent to the morgue for an autopsy after completion of the inquest. Police have launched an investigation into the incident and suspect it to be a premeditated murder. “Efforts are underway to determine the motive behind the killing and to arrest those involved as quickly as possible,” he added.

A young man was killed after being struck by lightning while playing football in Chapainawabganj’s Shibganj upazila on Monday afternoon. The deceased was identified as Antar Ali, 26, son of Abdul Mannan of Chakdoulotpur-Mondoltola area under Shibganj municipality. The incident took place at a mango forest adjacent to the Bhanga Bridge area of Shibganj municipality during a spell of storm and rain. Mizanur Rahman, Shibganj Upazila Project Implementation Officer, said Antar Ali was playing football at a mango forest adjacent to the Bhanga Bridge area of Shibganj municipality during a spell of inclement weather when lightning struck, killing him on the spot. Following the incident, the Department of Disaster Management provided Tk 25,000 in cash assistance to the victim’s family, he added. Matiur Rahman, Shibganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC), said legal procedures were completed and the body was handed over to the family.

A teenage boy was critically injured after being electrocuted while attempting to hang a Portugal flag in South Surma upazila in Sylhet on Monday noon. The injured identified as Hamid Ahmod, 15, son of Akhter Mia, an SSC candidate of this year. He was rushed to Ibn Sina Hospital in critical condition and is currently undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Doctors said his condition remains critical. Locals said Hamid, along with his friends, was hanging a long Portugal flag when he climbed an electric pole during the process and suddenly came into contact with live electricity, leaving him severely injured. The teenager is currently receiving treatment to the hospital and remains in critical condition, according to doctors.

River Fair 2026 was held in Sylhet on Monday, bringing together government officials, development partners, researchers, civil society representatives and river-dependent communities to promote awareness and strengthen collective efforts for river conservation. Organised by the Centre for Natural Resource Studies (CNRS), the fair took place at a hotel under the theme “People for Rivers, Rivers for People.” Speaking at the programme as the chief guest, State Minister for Water Resources Forhad Hossain Azad said Bangladesh’s rivers are facing growing threats from climate change, erosion, pollution, declining navigability and illegal encroachment. He stressed that while the government is implementing programmes such as dredging, riverbank protection, biodiversity conservation and tree plantation, broader public participation is crucial for protecting rivers. “River Fair 2026 can serve as an effective platform for increasing awareness and strengthening coordination among stakeholders working on river issues,” the state minister said. The event was chaired by Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Md Sarwoer Alam. CNRS Programme Manager Nadim Hossain Ador said the fair was designed to facilitate knowledge-sharing, dialogue and collaboration among different stakeholders involved in river conservation. Representatives from the Embassy of the Netherlands, Oxfam, the TROSA Programme, government agencies, development organisations, civil society organisations, media outlets and river-dependent communities attended the programme. Participants highlighted the importance of strengthening public engagement and social awareness initiatives to protect rivers and ensure sustainable management of water resources. Organisers said the fair is part of The People’s Riverscape Project, under which participatory river management activities are being implemented in the basins of the Piyain, Sari and Dhalai rivers. The project aims to develop sustainable river management plans by combining local knowledge with scientific research.

A local leader of Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal was arrested in Shahjadpur upazila of Sirajganj district early Monday for allegedly attempting to rape a girl in Ataikula of Sadar upazila in Pabna. The arrestee was identified as Abul Kashem, senior vice-president of ward No. 7 unit of Jubo Dal under Ataikula union, and son of Nizamuddin Sheikh of Ariadangi village in Sadar upazila. Officer-in-Charge of Ataikula Police Station Mojibor Rahman said police traced the whereabouts of Kashem with the help of technology and arrested him from Sirajganj district. On June 11, Kashem, also a trader, tried to violated the Class-VII student while she was returning home from her school. The victim’s mother filed a case against Kashem at Ataikula Police Station the following day. Local people swooped on his business establishment and set it on fire following the incident. Meanwhile, the Jubo Dal expelled him from the organisation.

Police have arrested a man on charges of raping an 11-year-old schoolgirl in the Ghurka area under Salanga union in Sirajganj district. The arrestee was identified as Abu Hanif Sheikh, 40, son of Abu Bakkar of the same village. The victim is a student of class five at a local government primary school. 3 held over ‘gang-rape’ of woman in Jashore Aslam Ali, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Salanga Police Station, said Hanif Sheikh called the schoolgirl to an abandoned house in the village on Sunday afternoon and forcibly raped her. Hearing her screams, family members rushed to the spot, caught Hanif, and immediately dialed the national emergency hotline service ‘999’. Upon receiving the call, a police team went to the spot and arrested him. Police further revealed that Hanif had subjected the child to sexual assault multiple times in the past. He had also threatened to kill her if she disclosed the matter to anyone. A case has been filed against the accused with the relevant police station. Meanwhile, he was sent to court on Monday, the OC added.

An octogenarian man was killed after being hit by a motorcycle in the Azampur area under Uttara East Police Station in the capital on Monday. The victim, Fazlul Karim, 85, lived with his family in Uttara Sector-10. Jahangir, a passer-by who took the victim to hospital, said Fazlul Karim was crossing the road in the area around 10:00am when a speeding motorcycle suddenly hit him, leaving him seriously injured. Locals rescued him and first took him to Kuwait Bangladesh Friendship Government Hospital in Uttara. Later, he was shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), where the doctor on duty at the emergency department declared him dead around 1:15pm. Inspector Md Faruk, in-charge of the DMCH police camp, said the body has been kept at the hospital morgue.

Police have arrested three young men on charges of allegedly gang-raping a 15-year-old girl in Thakurgaon’s Sadar upazila. The incident took place in the Kalitala Bazar area under Jagannathpur Union, where the victim was rescued in an ill and distressed condition from a warehouse early Sunday. The arrested were identified as Tamim Islam, 22, son of Anarul; Rony, 21, son of Mintu; and Masud, 22, son of Rahman Majedur, all of Kalitala Bazar area. Teenage girl ‘gang-raped’ in Brahmanbaria Police said a patrol team noticed suspicious movement of motorcycles near a warehouse owned by Rony’s father in the Kalitala Bazar area. Acting on suspicion, police immediately conducted a raid on the warehouse. During the raid, police rescued the 15-year-old girl from inside the warehouse in an unconscious and critical condition. She was rushed to the Thakurgaon 250-bed General Hospital for treatment and the three youths were detained from the spot. While undergoing treatment, the victim alleged that she met Tamim about a week earlier through a friend. She said Tamim later offered to take her out for a visit. After visiting several places, she was allegedly taken to a secluded warehouse at Kalitala Bazar, where Tamim called his two friends and raped her. Later, the victim’s father filed a case at Thakurgaon Sadar Police Station against the three accused. They were subsequently shown arrested and produced before a court, which ordered them to be sent to jail.

Jisan Ahmed, a central leader of Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student front of Jamaat e Islami, was shown arrested on Saturday morning in a rape case filed by a woman from Daudkandi upazila of Cumilla. Jisan is currently admitted to the prison ward of Cumilla Medical College Hospital - even though police claim that no complications have been detected in his physical condition so far. However, as his actual health condition has not yet been confirmed, he could not be produced before a court. Police pour cold water over claims of Shibir leader's 'abduction' Jisan serves as Assistant Secretary for International Affairs of the central committee of Chhatra Shibir . Meanwhile, the authorities of Cumilla Medical College Hospital have formed an investigation committee to determine his actual physical condition. The four-member committee was formed on Sunday afternoon with Prof Md Helalur Rahman, head of the hospital’s Medicine Department, appointed as its chief. The committee has been requested to submit its report within one day.  Acting director of the hospital Dr Md Shahjahan, said initially, no evidence of any serious physical complication has been found in his body. "We will be able to reach a more definite conclusion once the investigation report is submitted," he said. Shamsul Alam Shah, Officer-in-Charge(OC) of Cumilla Detective Branch (DB) Police, said further steps would be taken after the hospital authorities submit their final report. Md Anisuzzaman, Cumilla Superintendent of Police, alleged that Jisan had staged an abduction drama to avoid marrying the woman who later filed the case. On the other hand, Chhatra Shibir claimed that both parties are currently in police custody and it had not been possible to directly communicate with the parties concerned and therefore it could not independently verify the actual situation. However, the organisation said preliminary information suggesting a romantic relationship between Jisan and the woman had been found, and on that basis he had been expelled from the organisation.

Police have arrested Md Sohag Mridha, 35, of Patuakhali's Mirzaganj upazila, who came into the spotlight for gifting a cow named ‘Kala Manik’ to BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia during last year's Eid ul Azha. He was arrested in connection with a case filed under charges including assault, attempted murder, outraging the modesty of women and other offences. Following his arrest on Sunday, he was sent to jail by a court. Sohag Mirdha, son of the late Belayet Hossain Mridha, is a resident of Uttar Jhatibunia village under Amragachhia in the upazila. According to police, a clash occurred on June 10 over a family dispute. When  his cousin Sarmin Sultana, her husband Shahriar Ahmed and her sister-in-law Mahinur Begum were discussing family matters at their residence at 4.30pm, Sohag Mridha and several others allegedly entered the house and attacked them due to a prior dispute. When Sarmin Sultana and Mahinur Begum tried to rescue him, they were also assaulted. The case statement alleges that the attackers snatched a gold chain weighing about one bhori from Mahinur Begum. It also mentions incidents of molestation involving the two women during the attack. Hearing the victims’ screams, local residents rushed to the scene and rescued the injured. Following the incident, a case was filed with Mirzaganj Police Station. Tohiduzzaman, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Mirzaganj Police Station, said Sohag Mridha was produced before a court on Sunday, which ordered that he be sent to jail. Police operations are continuing to arrest the other accused in the case.