United News of Bangladesh

Three people were killed as a microbus plunged into a roadside ditch at Jangalia on Chittagong-Cox's Bazar highway in Lohagara upazila of Chattogram. The identities of the victims could not be known immediately. Feroz Khan, a senior officer of Lohagara Fire Service, said  the microbus lost control and fell into the ditch around 9 am, leaving seven people  injured. Truck-microbus collision leaves driver dead, 10 passengers injured in Dinajpur The injured were rushed to a hospital where doctors declared three people dead. The deceased included two Buddhist monks.    Four injured victims  are undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Dhaka-bound Chattala Express remained stranded at Feni railway station for around five hours on Tuesday after developing an engine fault, leaving nearly 700 passengers in distress. The problem occurred around 7:50 am when the train entered Feni station from Chattogram, according to railway officials and police sources. The train resumed its journey towards Dhaka  around 2:00 pm after a relief train came and resolved the issue, said Feni railway station master Mohammad Harun. Smoke was suddenly seen coming out from the engine’s ‘tablet cover’ around 7:50 am and when Assistant Locomaster Mohammad Kawser was attempting to fix the problem he fell sick  due to smoke inhalation. He was immediately rescued by colleagues and taken to Feni General Hospital for treatment. Many were seen getting off the train and seeking alternative modes of transport. Their suffering was further aggravated by a Nor’wester storm accompanied by heavy rainfall. Feni Railway Station Master Mohammad Harun said many passengers who were supposed to board the train from Feni opted to refund their tickets and left for their destinations using alternative transport. However, despite the train being stranded on the platform, movement of other trains remained normal as two adjacent lines were operational.  

At least four people were injured in a clash between transport workers at the central bus terminal in Sylhet on Monday, triggered by a dispute over a convening committee. The clash broke out around 2:00 pm at the Kadamtali bus terminal among workers from Jokiganj-Jaflong, Jagannathpur and Dhaka-Sylhet route-based transport services, including Mitali Paribahan and Habiganj Express. According to sources, tensions had been building over the formation of a convening committee following the death of a transport workers’ union leader in Jagannathpur. Supporters of a leader excluded from the committee allegedly tried to take control of an office, leading to the violence. The situation escalated when workers chased and assaulted rivals, prompting counter-attacks from other groups. Bricks were hurled and several buses and ticket counters were vandalised during the nearly two-hour-long clash. Witnesses said two of the injured were taken to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital. Transport workers’ union leaders said the violence quickly spread across different groups, making it difficult to determine responsibility. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police Manzurul Islam said the clash stemmed from internal disputes within the workers’ organisation, adding that the situation was later brought under control. Army personnel were deployed at the scene around 4:00 pm, helping restore order, although tension persisted among the groups.

Four suspects involved in the murder of customs official Bullet Bairagi ,27, in Cumilla have given confessional statements before the court, while another accused has been remanded for three days. On Monday afternoon, police produced the five arrested individuals before the Cumilla court. Titu Kumar Nath, Investigating officer Sub-Inspector (SI) of Sadar Dakkhin Police Station, sought a 10-day remand, along with permission to record confessional statements. Court Inspector Mamunur Rashid, said one accused was placed on a three-day remand while four others were giving confessional statements in court. The arrested persons are Imran Hossain Hridoy, 37, of Amratoli area in Cumilla Sadar, Md Sohag, 30, Ismail Hossain Johnny, 25, Md Sujon, 32, and Rahatul Rahman Jewel, 27. Among them, four were directly involved in the killing and one was a CNG driver. RAB said the arrestees are members of a professional mugger gang and were previously accused in a railway robbery case. They carried out the murder by trapping the victim while posing as passengers.   According to RAB, Bullet Bairagi went missing on April 24 night while returning to Cumilla from Chattogram after completing his training. About 12 hours later, on April 25 at around 8:45 am, his body was recovered by Moinamoti Highway Police from beside a hotel in the Kotbari area on the Dhaka–Chattogram highway. Multiple injury marks were found on the body. Later, the victim’s mother filed a murder case with Sadar Dakkhin Model Police Station in Cumilla against unidentified persons. RAB launched an investigation and intensified intelligence surveillance following the incident. During the operation, a CNG-run autorickshaw used in the crime, a machete, a Swiss gear and a hammer were recovered. On the night of the incident, the victim got off a bus in the Jagorjhuli area of Cumilla, where he was targeted by the gang. He was then forced into an autorickshaw, beaten and robbed, and later pushed from the moving vehicle, causing fatal head injuries. RAB-11 said that evidence of their involvement in the incident was found after analyzing information technology and CCTV footage.

A group of teenage boys allegedly killed their friend in Narayanganj’s Fatullah out of curiosity to experience what it is like to go to jail, police said on Monday. The victim was identified as Hossain,11, who used to sell flowers in Narayanganj city with his father. He had been missing since the morning of April 18. His body was recovered on April 23 from an abandoned house in the Dapa Idrakpur Bank Colony area of Fatullah. Speaking at a press briefing, Narayanganj Superintendent of Police Mohammad Mizanur Rahman Munshi said the murder was planned by a group of adolescents who often gathered and abused drugs at the abandoned house. According to the investigation, three of the boys- Saiful, Tanvir and Yunus discussed among themselves that committing a murder would lead to imprisonment. Driven by curiosity about prison life, they planned the killing. They later lured Hossain to the abandoned house with the promise of smoking cannabis. Three more friends were already present there. The group then stabbed Hossain to death and fled, leaving the body behind. The incident came to light when a local resident overheard a teenage boy speaking suspiciously about the killing over a mobile phone. Residents later went to the house, found the body, and detained one of the suspects. Upon questioning, he revealed details of the murder and was handed over to police. Following the recovery of the body, police first arrested Yasin. Based on his information, five more teenagers were detained in subsequent drives. A total of six suspects have been arrested in connection with the case, including four named in the case and two identified during the investigation. The police chief said the prime accused, Yasin, has given a confessional statement under Section 164 before a court. The sharp weapon used in the killing has also been recovered. Police said another suspect is still on the run.

Police have arrested two people in connection with the killing of a shrine leader and vandalism during an attack on a darbar (spiritual centre) in Daulatpur upazila of Kushtia, nearly two weeks after the incident. The arrests were made late Sunday night during a raid in the Philipnagar area of the upazila, police said. The arrested individuals are Biplob, 26, son of Naharul Mondal, and Alif Islam, 23, son of Rabiul Islam, both from West South Philipnagar. Daulatpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Arifur Rahman confirmed the matter, saying they were detained during a special operation. Another person, Fazlul Ali, was taken to the police station for questioning but later released to his family after preliminary interrogation. He said the arrests were made based on analysis of CCTV footage from the incident site and ongoing investigation. According to police and local reports, on April 11, a mob attacked the darbar of Abdul Rahman, also known as Shamim or Jahangir, in Philipnagar area, following the circulation of an old video on social media allegedly insulting religious sentiments. The attackers vandalised and set fire to the premises and looted property. At one point, the darbar leader Pir Shamim was beaten to death during the violence. Following the incident, the victim’s brother Fazlur Rahman filed a case with Daulatpur Police Station on April 13, naming four individuals and accusing around 180 to 200 unidentified people.

Two farmers were killed in separate lightning strikes in Sunamganj Sadar upazila on Monday afternoon while harvesting paddy in haor areas, and three more people were injured in Shantiganj upazila, officials said. The deceased were identified as Jamir Uddin, 40, son of Abdur Kadir of Abdullahpur village under Mollapara union of Sunamganj Sadar upazila, and Jamir Hossain, 42, son of Kayed Hossain of Baitakhali village under Gourarang union of the same upazila. Lightning strikes in Sunamganj make Speaker question his life choices Local people and eyewitnesses said Jamir Uddin was cutting paddy with other farmers in the Dekhar Haor area of Abdullahpur village when a sudden lightning strike seriously injured him amid cloudy weather. His colleagues rescued him and rushed him to Sunamganj Sadar Hospital, where the duty doctor declared him dead. Around the same time, Jamir Hossain was struck by lightning while heading from his house to open a shop at the village river ghat. He was also taken to the same hospital in critical condition, but doctors pronounced him dead. Dr Shafikur Rahman of Sunamganj Sadar Hospital confirmed the deaths of the two farmers. In Shantiganj upazila, three more farmers were injured while harvesting paddy in a lightning strike. Locals rescued them and provided first aid. The incidents cast a shadow of grief over the area as the peak paddy harvesting season continues in the haor region. Local agricultural officials and the administration have urged farmers working in the haor to remain alert and follow weather forecasts. They also stressed the importance of seeking shelter in safe, concrete structures or leaving open areas quickly during thunderstorms.

Families of the victims of the Narayanganj seven murder case formed a human chain on Monday, demanding swift execution of the verdict. The programme was held around 11am on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway at Mouchak bus stand in Siddhirganj, where relatives and local residents voiced frustration over the delay in enforcing the judgment even after 12 years. Speaking at the human chain, Selina Islam Beauty, wife of slain panel mayor Nazrul Islam, said the brutal killings in 2014 were witnessed by the entire nation. Two workers die from toxic gas in Narayanganj water tank

A crocodile was caught in fishermen’s fishing gear in the Padma River in  Charbhadrasan upazila of Faridpur early Monday, drawing a large crowd to the riverbank. Fishermen said the crocodile became entangled in a fishing-hook near Gopalpur ghat while they were fishing as usual in the early hours of the morning. Later, they managed to pull it out and brought it to the nearby ghat of Qazi Bari. As news of the rare catch spread, curious locals gathered in large numbers to see the reptile. Fishermen Swapan Bepari, Rajib Bepari, Rabiul Bepari and Billal Khan said they were fishing in the river when the crocodile got stuck in Swapan Bepari’s gear. They later informed the local authorities. Officials from the local administration and forest department soon visited the spot.

Police detained a speech-impaired man over the alleged killing of his mother in Natore’s Mallikhati Ghoshpara area on Sunday night. The deceased was identified as Shahida Begum, wife of the late Shariful Huda. Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Sadar Police Station Munsur Rahman said Shahida had been living with her only son, Ariful Huda, who has a speech impairment. As his mother scolded him Ariful allegedly struck his mother on the head with a kitchen grinding stone (shil nora), leaving her dead on the spot around 10:30 pm, he said quoting locals. Neighbours later informed police who detained the accused. The body was recovered and sent to Natore General Hospital morgue for autopsy. The OC said the accused will be interrogated under special arrangements.