Law-&-Order
Proposal sent for formation of specialised police unit for metro rail: DMP Commissioner
A proposal has been sent by Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) to form a separate specialised unit for the overall safety of Metro rail, said DMP Commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq on Tuesday.
Though it has been decided that a specialised new police unit named “Mass Rapid Transit Police" or “MRT Police” will be formed to ensure security and safety checks at every station of the metro rail, the DMP will do the job in the interim period,” he added.
The metro rail will open a new horizon in Dhaka's public transport sector , said Golam Faruq.
Read more: Mariam Afiza to operate metro rail on first day
"It is very important for public interest,” he told reporters while talking to reporters after inspecting the overall security measures taken over the inauguration of metro rail at Main Depot of Uttara's Diabari.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the first segment of metro rail– spanning Uttara (Diabari) to Agargaon, on December 28.
Besides, the Prime Minister will also participate in a public meeting here and many VVIPs will join the meeting. For this reason, necessary security measures have been taken in the area to ensure their safety, added the DMP commissioner.
ACC submits chargesheet against BNP leader Mirza Abbas, wife
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Tuesday submitted a charge sheet against BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas and his wife Afroza Abbas in a case filed for acquiring wealth illegally.
ACC Secretary Mahbub Hossain disclosed this at a press briefing at the ACC headquarters.
Read more: ACC going after BNP's Amir Khasru with undisclosed equity arrangement in Hotel Sarina
The case was filed with Shahjahanpur (DMP) police station on January 7, 2019.
According to the case, the couple acquired wealth worth around Tk 20.75 crore beyond their known source of their income.
ACC going after BNP's Amir Khasru with undisclosed equity arrangement in Hotel Sarina
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a case against five people including BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru and his wife over plot misappropriation, hiding ownership of shares in Hotel Sarina Dhaka, and violating the Building Code
ACC Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain disclosed the information during a press briefing on Monday at ACC headquarters in the capital.
The others accused in the case are Khasru’s wife Tahera Khasru Alam, Hotel Sarina Chairman Golam Sarwar, Managing Director Sabera Sarwar Nina, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) Building Inspector (Design Approval Branch) Aurangzeb Nannu.
Deputy Director of ACC's Integrated District Office Dhaka-1 Salina Akhtar filed the case on allegation of conspiring to benefit by misappropriating a plot in the name of developing the adjacent plot on Banani Road 17, owned by Chittagong Stock Exchange under Dhaka RAJUK.
On top of that, the RAJUK-approved design was violated in building and operating the five star Hotel Sarina from there.
According to the complaint, the ACC directed to submit a report after a probe into allegations of appropriating assets exceeding known income against Amir Khasru and his wife.
In the probe it came out that they concealed the information about holding shares of Hotel Sarina, along with their relatives Nina and Golam Sarwar.
Amir Khosru and his brother-in-law Golam Sarwar purchased plot number 25 of Road 17 in Banani, known as Basati Tower, and constructed a 21-storey building instead of the 15-storey design approved by Rajuk.
Amir Khosru during his tenure as President of CSE, Member of Parliament and Commerce Minister of Bangladesh, appointed Golam Sarwar as the developer of the adjacent plot 27 owned by the said organization, and then he and his wife also got involved in the misappropriation of the plot.
Later, Khasru and his wife worked with his brother-in-law’s developer company to build a 22 (twenty-two) storey building on the plot, to house the five-star hotel under their ownership.
He ignored the decision of the Board of Directors of CSE to illegally give the contract to his brother-in-law.
‘Hizb ut-Tahrir member’ held in city
Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) have arrested a member of banned militant outfit Hizb ut-Tahrir from Kamrangirchar of the capital.
The arrestee is Nafiz Salam Uday, 45, a resident of city’s Adabor area. He is an active member of ‘Dawat’ and finance department of banned militant outfit Hizb ut-Tahrir.
Read more: Rab DG calls escape of two militants a 'failure'
Tipped off, a special team of the Anti-Terrorism Cell of Rab-2 conducted a drive at Kamrangirchar on Sunday noon and arrested Nafiz, said Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Md Fazlul Haque, senior additional director (Media) of Rab-2.
There are three cases against him at Mohammadpur and Adabar police stations and a police assault case at Mohammadpur police station.
An arrest warrant was also issued by Anti-Terrorism Tribunal against the arrestee. He remained fugitive for eight years.
Read more: Militants’ escape: 10 Ansar-al-Islam members put on another 5-day remand
He used to distribute anti-state leaflets and invite people to various mosques after keeping contact with the Ameer of the Bangladesh branch of Hizb ut-Tahrir and other group leaders, he added.
Legal steps will be taken against the arrestee, said the officer.
“Besides, efforts are on to arrest the other members of Hizb ut-Tahrir according to Nafiz’s information,” he added.
45-yr-old man arrested for raping minor girl in Chattogram
A five-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a 45-year-old man in Boalkhali upazila of the district on Saturday noon, police said.
The accused identified as Md Jahangir was arrested after the victim’s mother filed a case in this connection. He is a resident of the ward No-4 under Shakpura union of the upazila.
According to the case statement, the victim went to the house of the accused to play with other children on Saturday noon while the mother was cooking.
Jahangir raped the minor girl taking her to a room of the house where there was no one except his elderly mother during the incident.
Later, the victim, who was bleeding, shared the matter with her mother in a cry, the statement said. The mother filed the case after hearing this.
Md Abdur Razzak, officer-in-charge of Boalkhali police station, said they arrested the accused, who primarily confessed to the crime, after a case was lodged under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act in this connection.
The victim was sent to One-Stop Crisis Center of Chattogram Medical College Hospital for medical tests, the OC added.
Police scale up security ahead of AL council Saturday, dismiss security threat
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq Friday said they have scaled up security ahead of the 22nd national council of the Awami League (AL) in the Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital Saturday.
He, however, dismissed any security threat surrounding the council which is likely to see the participation of "more than one lakh leaders and activists" of the ruling party.
The DMP commissioner was speaking with the media after visiting the Suhrawardy Udyan Friday.
Read more: 22nd Nat'l Council: AL to focus on “smart” leadership aligned with Smart Bangladesh goal
The security arrangements in the area were made keeping Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in mind, he said.
"The prime minister survived many attempts on her life in the past. So, we have beefed up security and vigilance this time," Golam Faruq added.
About the escape of two convicted militants from a Dhaka court on November 20, he said: "They will be arrested soon. We have been able to identify their associates already. We will arrest the rest of them soon."
"There is no terrorist threat (in the country now)," the DMP commissioner added.
Rab DG calls escape of two militants a 'failure'
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) Director General (DG) M Khurshid Hossain Friday said the escape of two convicted militants from a Dhaka court on November 20 and the fact that they are yet to be arrested is a "failure."
"We believe in self-criticism. Two militants escaped; we are not going to deny it. It was our failure as two militants escaped (from the court premises) like that," the Rab DG told the media after visiting the Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital ahead of the 22nd national council of the Awami League there Saturday.
Read more: Law enforcers can’t avoid responsibility over militants’ escape: Rab
"The militants had been planning the escape for a long time, and we are yet to track them down. However, efforts are underway to arrest them," he added.
Abu Siddiq Sohel and Moinul Hasan Shamim, members of the banned militant outfit Ansar-al Islam, were sentenced to death for killing publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan.
Read more: Location of escaped militants to be traced soon: Home Minister
On November 20, the militants' associates whisked them away from the premises of Dhaka Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court by beating the law enforcers and spraying some chemicals on their eyes.
Later, a case was filed at Kotwali Police Station over the incident.
Jamaat chief knew his son was member of militant group: CTTC chief
A senior counter terrorism official said on Thursday that Ameer(chief) of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Shafiqur Rahman has confessed the involvement of his son Dr Rafat Sadiq Saifullah with the new militant outfit Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya.
The chief of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Asaduzzaman claimed this at a press conference in the DMP media centre on Thursday.
The CTTC chief said the Jamaat chief was aware that his son was involved in militancy.
“But he remained silent and didn’t inform the law enforcement agencies,” Asaduzzaman said.
“If someone wants to return to normal life after being involved in militancy, the law-enforcement agencies consider an application on behalf of the family. But he (Shafiqur) did not inform the law enforcers and concealed the whole thing,” he said.
Rafat, son of Shafiqur Rahman, along with one of his associates were arrested from Jatrabari area of the city on November 9.
Read more: Dr Shafiqur Rahman made Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami
Rafat was a suspected member of Ansar Al Islam and collected some supporters from the militant group to join their new militant outfit Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya, the official claimed.
A group of young people, who left homes recently, led by Rafat went to Bandarban from where they went to Sylhet for training from militants with Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), an armed group in the Chattogram Hill Tracts, claimed the CTTC chief.
Shafiqur Rahman was arrested on December 13 for his alleged involvement in militancy.
Police found the evidence of supporting and funding the new militant outfit Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya by the Jamaat chief, said DMP Commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq on December 17.
Meanwhile, about the escape of two militants from the Dhaka court, the CTTC chief said on Thursday: “It is not time to say it yet. They’ve not escaped from the country yet.”
Read more: Arrest warrants issued against Jamaat chief, 11 others in sabotage case
42 held in city in anti-narcotics drive
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested 42 people during its ongoing anti-narcotics drive in the capital in 24 hours till 6am on Thursday.
Detective Branch (DB) of police and different police stations under the DMP carried out separate drives starting from 6am on Wednesday.
Read more: 44 arrested in DMP anti-drugs drive
During the drives, police recovered 798 Yaba pills 52 small packets containing 29 grams of heroin, 7.5 kg of hemp, 46 bottles of Phensidyl syrup and liquor from their possession, said a press release of DMP media centre.
A total of 35 cases were filed with police stations concerned under the Narcotics Control Act, it said.
Read more: DMP arrests 72 in anti-narcotics drive in city
11 kidnapped fishermen rescued in Sundarbans: Police
Police on Wednesday rescued 11 fishermen, who were kidnapped by robbers from different areas of the Sundarbans from December 13 to 18.
Those rescued were identified as Hanif, 48, Sohel Mallick, 28, Asadul Sheikh, 32, Akram Sheikh, 42, Anichh Sheikh, 22, Milon Sheikh, 23, Rafiqul Islam Khan, 35, Shukkur Ali Befari, 30, Monir Befari, 36 and Baktiar Befari, 35, hailing from different areas of Bagerhat and Khulna districts.
However, no criminals have been detained so far in this connection.
Read more: 'Operation Sundarban' mesmerises audience at star-studded premiere
The criminals kidnapped the fishermen with their trawlers and other valuables from rivers and canals in the Sundarbans while they were fishing.
Later, the kidnappers demanded ransom from the families of the victims over mobile phone.
KM Arifqul Hoque, superintendent of police of the district, said police teams from Mongla and Sharankhola police stations conducted drives in the forest and rescued the fishermen.
He said such drives will continue to make the forest free from the robbers and other criminals.
Eight of the rescued fishermen were taken to Mongla police station and 3 others to Sharankhola police station.
Read more: Shooting of ‘Operation Sundarbans’ begins