United News of Bangladesh

The Armed Police Battalion (APBn) rescued six missing children and recovered gold worth Tk 8.53 crore, along with 862 lost mobile phones and other valuables, during operations across the country in September. Additional DIG (Operations and Intelligence) Nurul Islam disclosed the information at a press conference held at APBn headquarters on Monday. APBn units recovered 4.344 kg of gold bars and ornaments worth an estimated Tk 8.53 crore and arrested 27 people in connection with 22 cases. The force also rescued 22 victims and arrested 15 people in related cases during the month. Using information technology, APBn recovered 862 lost mobile phones, three hacked Facebook accounts, two hacked WhatsApp accounts, three hacked email accounts and one hacked Telegram account. It also recovered Tk 2,22,280 lost in bKash and Nagad fraud. In anti-drug drives, APBn seized 33,468 yaba tablets, 6.058 kg of cannabis, 17.25 litres of alcohol and 673 cartons of cigarettes. Twelve people were arrested and 11 cases were filed in connection with the operations. The force also recovered one locally made firearm, one round of ammunition and two bullet casings, leading to one case and one arrest. Nurul Islam said APBn conducted operations against various crimes, including smuggling, illegal entry into Rohingya camps and other offences. The force also detained 22 vehicles for illegal entry into Rohingya camp areas and referred them to Shahpori Highway Police Station. APBn would continue technology-based operations and intelligence activities to control crime, maintain law and order, and improve public safety and services, he said.

A mosque and a Hindu temple standing just four feet apart in the same compound in Lalmonirhat town have become a remarkable symbol of religious harmony, with the two places of worship coexisting peacefully for 82 years through mutual respect and tolerance. Located in Kalibari area, Central Kalibari Shri Shri Durga and Kali Temple and the adjacent Jame Mosque present a unique scene during Durga Puja. Local residents said there has never been an untoward incident between the two religious communities during their decades of living side by side. As crowds of devotees gather at the temple during Durga Puja, prayers continue uninterrupted at the neighbouring mosque. Temple authorities stop playing musical instruments during prayer times to ensure that worshippers at the mosque can perform their religious duties without disturbance. Locals said the temple was established in 1838, while the mosque was built in 1943, about 105 years later. The two places of worship have thus stood side by side for 82 years. The temple occupies eight decimals of land and the mosque five decimals, while an adjoining plot of about 12 decimals belongs to another person.  

Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni on Monday called for concerted efforts by families, communities and relevant stakeholders to protect adolescent girls’ reproductive health, ensure continuity of their education and prevent child marriage. Speaking as the chief guest at a workshop titled “Reproductive Health and Adolescent Girls’ Health Protection and Prevention of Child Marriage” at the Patharghata Upazila Parishad auditorium in Barguna, he stressed the need for greater awareness and access to healthcare services. Moni said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has taken various initiatives to make women economically self-reliant and empower them. Through the Family Card programme, the government is working to strengthen women economically, while initiatives have also been taken to expand educational opportunities for girls and provide stipends, he said. The chief whip stressed the need to create an environment in which girls can pursue education and develop the skills to take leadership roles in society. He said raising awareness about reproductive health, ensuring access to healthcare services and prioritising education are essential to the healthy development of adolescent girls and securing their future. Moni also called for greater awareness among families and communities about the harmful consequences of child marriage. He also expressed a firm stance against drug abuse, extortion, illegal occupation and terrorism in Patharghata. The workshop was organised by the Strengthening Parliament’s Capacity in Integration of Population and Development Issues (SPCPD) project of the Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Patharghata upazila administration. Rafiqul Islam Jamal, MP, attended the event as a special guest with ANM Khalilur Rahman Khan, director general (Broadcasting and Information Technology) of the Parliament Secretariat, in the chair. Barguna Superintendent of Police Md Kudrat-E-Khuda, Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Animesh Biswas, Parliament Secretariat Joint Secretary Md Al Mamun, and other officials and journalists were also present.

The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) on Monday approved procurement  of 70,000 tonnes of urea fertiliser from local and foreign suppliers at a cost of Tk 364.55 crore to meet the country’s fertiliser demand in the 2026-27 fiscal year. Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury presided over the meeting. Of the total quantity, 30,000 tonnes of bagged granular urea will be procured from Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company Limited (KAFCO), Bangladesh, at Tk 151.30 crore. The purchase price has been set at US$408.375 per metric tonne . The committee also approved importing 40,000 tonnes of bulk granular urea fertiliser from Saudi Arabia’s SABIC Agri-nutrients Company at Tk 213.24 crore. The fertiliser, containing 10 percent nitrogen as specified in the proposal, will be imported at US$431.67 per metric tonne. The Ministry of Industries placed both proposals before the committee. The recommendations are aimed at ensuring the supply of urea fertiliser for the country’s agricultural needs during the fiscal year.  

Customs officials have seized 87,390 kg of yarn, including imported polyester and nylon yarn, worth an estimated Tk 3.2 crore from an unregistered warehouse in Narayanganj for lacking tax invoices. A preventive team of the Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate, Narayanganj, conducted a raid on the warehouse of SR Trade, owned by Rajib Saha, in Jimkhana, Tanbazar, Narayanganj Sadar, at 11:00am on Monday following a tip-off. During the search, according to a press release, the team found 77,390 kg of polyester and nylon yarn originating from China, Malaysia and Vietnam without the required tax invoices. Another 10,000 kg of locally produced yarn was also found without tax invoices. The customs officials seized all the yarn, whose estimated value is Tk 3.2 crore, according to a press release issued by the commissionerate. The authorities have initiated legal proceedings to realise the applicable government revenue.

A tribunal in Gazipur court on Monday convicted a man and sentenced him to life imprisonment for raping a child. Gazipur Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal Judge Gazi Delear Hossain handed down the punishment. The convict Shafiqul Islam Khandaker, 40, son of Abdul Aziz of Mulaid village in Sreepur upazila is now behind the bars. According to the prosecution, Shafiqul violated the eight-year-old girl at the five-storey building of one Badsha Mia in Mawna intersection on July 13, 2024. The girl’s mother filed a case under Women and Children Repression Prevention Act with Sreepur Police Station.      

Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir Monday expressed hope that a decision on deferring Bangladesh's graduation from the least developed country (LDC) category by three years would come within this month. "The government has prepared a time-bound action plan to make the best use of the additional time. We also aim to conclude free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with the European Union (EU) before graduation," the minister said while addressing a seminar on the challenges and way forward of Bangladesh's LDC graduation at the Economic Reporters' Forum (ERF) conference room in the capital. The ERF and the Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute (BFTI) jointly organised the seminar. Outlining the progress of the deferral process, the minister said Bangladesh has cleared the UN Committee for Development Policy (CDP) stage. "The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) has since spoken of extending the timeframe by three years." He said the EU and other stakeholders have also agreed that Bangladesh should get the additional time. "I am very optimistic that we will see a resolution of the matter next week or the week after," Muktadir said, expressing hope that a decision would come before the November 24 deadline. Explaining why the three-year extension was sought, the minister said the country is not prepared to face post-graduation challenges. Attempts were made to glorify graduation politically rather than focusing on economic and financial challenge Not enough attention was paid to harnessing the benefits of graduation and building the capacity to tackle potential disadvantages, said the minister. He said a time-bound action plan on how the additional time would be used has already been shared with the EU. Highlighting initiatives to retain access to global markets for Bangladeshi goods and services, Muktadir said the government aims to conclude Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPAs) or FTAs with eight to 10 countries in 2026 and 2027. He said a chief negotiator has been appointed for the FTA talks with the EU, and preparations are underway to begin the first round of technical negotiations, though no date has been fixed yet. The goal, he said, is to finish the talks before Bangladesh's graduation. Preparations to obtain GSP Plus facilities in the EU market will run in parallel, the minister said. "However, I hope we will not have to opt for GSP Plus, as we will complete the FTA before that," he added. The minister also said the process of joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is underway. He said in-principle approval for Bangladesh's inclusion has been received, and procedural work is now moving ahead. To attract investment, the minister said, access to international markets must be complemented by uninterrupted energy supply, easier business procedures and transparent legal resolution of disputes. He stressed the need to ensure both purchasing power at home to sell locally produced goods and access to foreign markets for exports. Citing the delays in starting a business, he said it takes an average of 355 days to complete the process, from obtaining a trade licence, opening a bank account and securing preliminary clearances to collecting an import registration certificate and opening a letter of credit (LC) for machinery. "Such a long time makes it hard for entrepreneurs to keep up their enthusiasm," he said. To change this, the government plans to issue trade licences through a single online portal, the minister said. "Applicants will be able to obtain licences from anywhere in the country or abroad by submitting the required documents and paying fees, with the fees automatically reaching the concerned local government institutions." The government is also taking steps to bring the services of the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms (RJSC) fully online and to extend the validity of various licences to three to five years, he said. He also spoke of introducing joint inspections in place of separate inspections by different agencies. Muktadir expressed the hope that these reforms would free entrepreneurs from the lengthy process of obtaining licences and permits by 2027. Terming the energy crisis a major obstacle to fresh investment, the minister said work is underway to install new floating LNG terminals and drill gas wells to boost supply. The government is also taking steps to increase solar power generation, he added. He said Bangladesh comes under pressure whenever uncertainty arises in international supply, as it lacks adequate storage for LNG and essential commodities.  He underscored the need to build strategic reserves and storage capacity. The government is moving ahead with the combined goal of boosting the confidence of local and foreign investors, facilitating business and ensuring access to global markets, Muktadir said.  

Reported rioting incidents in Bangladesh fell by 72.6 percent in January-September 2026 compared to the corresponding period of 2025, marking the steepest percentage decline among the four crime categories covered by the nine-month comparison, according to data from the Ministry of Home Affairs. The number of reported rioting incidents dropped to 17 from 62, a reduction of 45 cases. The data also showed declines in reported violence against women, child abuse and kidnapping during the same period. Reported violence against women fell from 9,262 cases in January-September 2025 to 8,178 in the corresponding period of 2026, a decrease of 1,084 cases, or 11.7 percent. Child abuse cases declined from 3,591 to 3,151, down by 440 cases, or 12.3 percent. Kidnapping incidents also decreased, falling from 812 to 769, a reduction of 43 cases, or 5.3 percent. Among these four categories, violence against women recorded the largest numerical reduction, while rioting registered the largest percentage decline. July-September comparison Separate figures for July-September also showed declines across all seven crime categories included in the comparison: rioting, theft, child abuse, kidnapping, robbery, dacoity and murder. Rioting incidents fell from nine in July-September 2025 to five in the same period of 2026, a decrease of four cases, or 44.4 percent. Robbery recorded the second-largest percentage decline in the quarterly comparison, falling from 171 cases to 123, down by 48 cases, or 28.1 percent. Kidnapping incidents decreased from 295 to 242, a reduction of 53 cases, or 18 percent. Child abuse cases fell from 1,432 to 1,238, down by 194 cases, or 13.5 percent. Murder cases declined from 980 to 881, a decrease of 99 cases, or 10.1 percent. Dacoity incidents fell from 511 to 467, down by 44 cases, or 8.6 percent. Theft recorded the smallest percentage decline among the seven categories, falling from 2,693 cases in July-September 2025 to 2,576 in the corresponding period of 2026, a reduction of 117 cases, or 4.3 percent.

Customs intelligence officials seized gold bars and gold-paste objects worth nearly Tk 5 crore in two separate operations at Chattogram and Dhaka airports on Sunday. Officials recovered 466 grams of gold bars concealed inside a frying pan and a vegetable grater along with 100 grams of declared gold jewellery from a passenger at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram, said a press release on Monday. Later in the evening, officials at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka recovered six egg-shaped objects containing gold paste, weighing a total of 2.734 kilogrammes, from the rectums of two passengers arriving from the Maldives. In the Chattogram operation, Kamrul Islam, a passenger arriving from Abu Dhabi on US-Bangla Airlines flight landed at Shah Amanat International Airport at 7:00am on Sunday. Acting on a tip-off, customs intelligence officials were on alert at the green channel. Although the passenger declared carrying 100 grammes of gold jewellery, he denied having any additional gold. A subsequent baggage search, conducted in the presence of officials from other agencies, led to the recovery of four pieces of gold bars weighing 466 grams, concealed inside a frying pan and a vegetable grater.

A youth from Chandina upazila of Cumilla has reportedly been killed in the Russia-Ukraine war, according to his family. The deceased, Md Sagar, 24, was the son of Md Kabir Hossain of Chhaykot area under Chandina municipality. He was the youngest of two brothers and three sisters. According to family locals, Sagar belonged to a low-income family and working at a rod and cement shop in Chandina upazila headquarters. In 2025, he went to Russia with the help of the shop's manager and later took a job at a bakery here. While working there, he came into contact with a Bangladeshi broker who lured him with the promise of a one-time payment of Tk 30 lakh if he joined the Russian military. Sagar joined the Russia-Ukraine war in May this year, after which his family lost contact with him. On Saturday (October 17), one of his friends in Russia informed his sister over the phone that Sagar had died, leaving the family devastated. Sagar's uncle, Abdul Awal said that a broker had misled Sagar with false information and recruited him to fight in the war as a soldier. Sagar's father, Kabir Hossain, said I sent him abroad by taking loans and borrowing money from others. I have not been able to speak to my son for the last four to five months. Now I hear that my son is no more," he said. Contacted, Chandina Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mohammad Ashraful Haque said they were not aware of the incident but would look into it.