United News of Bangladesh

Police have arrested 53 leaders and activists of the Awami League and its affiliated organisations in the capital’s Vatara area. They were arrested from a flat in Bashundhara Residential Area around 9:05pm on Thursday, said Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) Niaz Mehedi of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). He said the leaders and activists of the Awami League, which faces a ban on its activities, gathered at the flat to hold a preparatory meeting and organise a flash procession on the occasion of August 15. Niaz Mehedi said police raided the flat and arrested 53 people from the spot while they were allegedly chanting anti-state slogans and carrying placards and banners. Legal proceedings against those arrested are underway, he said. The DMP said it is continuing surveillance and operations across the capital to maintain law and order and ensure public safety.      

A mobile court has jailed a young man for 15 days for allegedly posing as a journalist and demanding extortion money at the Alamdanga Upazila Land Office. ASM Shahnewas Mehadi, assistant commissioner (land) of Alamdanga upazila, said legal action was taken against Md Sabuj Sheikh, son of Qazed Ali of Chuadanga municipality, on Thursday. According to land office sources, Sabuj, accompanied by an aide, entered the office claiming to be a journalist and later demanded money, saying he was collecting funds to mark the founding anniversary of a newspaper. Sensing something suspicious, the assistant commissioner asked him to provide details of his identity and the name of the editor of the newspaper he claimed to represent. However, Sabuj failed to provide the required information, including the name and details of the editor, the sources said. During questioning, he reportedly admitted that he entered the office by falsely identifying himself as a journalist. An identity card bearing the name “The Bangla Independent” was also recovered from him, the sources said. Later, the mobile court sentenced Sabuj to 15 days in jail and released his aide on bond.

A court on Thursday sent Babul Mia, the prime suspect in the killing of three members of a family in Sylhet city’s Raynagar area, to jail. Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-Charge Khan Md Mainul Zakir confirmed the development in the evening. Police said their investigation found that the triple murder stemmed from a personal dispute between Babul and the family’s domestic worker, Tahmina. Babul was arrested Wednesday afternoon from a colony in the Rajbari area of Raynagar. During preliminary questioning, Babul reportedly admitted that he entered Nikunja Villa, a house in Mitali Residential Area, on Wednesday morning and got into an altercation with Tahmina. At one point, Babul allegedly stabbed Tahmina with a knife. When elderly couple Abdus Sattar and Suraiya Begum came forward to save her, he allegedly attacked and killed them as well, police said. Based on information provided by Babul, police recovered the bloodstained knife allegedly used in the killings on Thursday morning. Abdus Sattar was a former director of the Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a local Awami League leader. All four of the couple’s children — three daughters and a son — live abroad. Two daughters arrived in Sylhet from the United Kingdom on Thursday afternoon and received their parents’ bodies from Osmani Medical College Hospital. Their son Arif Iftekhar, who lives in the United States, is expected to arrive in Bangladesh on Friday. A case will be filed after his arrival, according to the family. Police security has been tightened around the house following the killings.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested five people for their alleged involvement in an organised racket operating online betting and gambling websites in Narsingdi. A special team of the Cyber Investigation and Operations Unit of CID’s Cyber Police Centre conducted raids in different parts of Narsingdi from Tuesday evening to Wednesday and arrested them, said a CID press release on Thursday. The arrestees are Rafiqul Islam, 46; Md Sohel, 37; Md Shafiqul Islam, 27; Md Rubel Mollaya, 33; and Ayub Hossain Ripon, 48. All are residents of Narsingdi. Rafiqul was arrested from the Railgate College Market area under Raipura Police Station, Sohel from the Moulvi Bari area of Noaadia village under Monohardi Police Station, and Shafiqul and Rubel from the Raju Tower area in front of Monohardi Police Station. Ayub was arrested from the Noyadarakandia area under Monohardi Police Station. CID said it seized nine mobile phones, 20 SIM cards, cheque books of different banks and other important evidence from their possession. According to the case statement, CID’s Cyber Police Centre detected during cyber monitoring that an organised group, with members operating both inside and outside Bangladesh, had been running online betting and gambling websites under different names for a long time. The websites allegedly facilitated betting on international cricket, football and other sporting events in exchange for money. The group also promoted and advertised the gambling platforms through social media and other online platforms, CID said. The investigation found that users of the betting sites were required to make top-ups or deposits to participate in online gambling. The sites instructed users to deposit money through mobile financial services such as bKash, Nagad, Rocket and Upay, as well as bank accounts and cryptocurrency. After deposits were made, equivalent amounts of e-money or “bot money” were reportedly credited to users’ betting accounts for use in gambling. CID said the group used MFS agent numbers and bank accounts to facilitate deposits and withdrawals, frequently changing the numbers and accounts. The group allegedly recruited agents in different parts of the country to collect MFS numbers and bank account details and then supplied the information to betting website operators through Telegram and other communication platforms. According to the preliminary investigation, money collected through illegal electronic transactions was pooled by agents, who retained commissions before transferring the remaining funds through bank accounts and converting them into cryptocurrency for possible transfer abroad. CID filed a case with Paltan Model Police Station under Sections 20(2), 21(2), 24(2) and 27(2) of the Cyber Security Act 2026.

Five police members of Shahrashti Model Police Station in Chandpur have been temporarily suspended over allegations of involvement in drug-related activities. Chandpur Superintendent of Police Md Mizanur Rahman issued an office order on Tuesday suspending them. The suspended members are Sub-Inspector Arif Hossain, Assistant Sub-Inspector Shahidullah, Constable Sharif Uddin, driver Nazrul Islam and Constable Ishtiaq. On July 28, locals detained alleged drug trader Mizanur Rahman at Aynatali Bazar in the upazila. His mobile phone reportedly contained information, including conversations and financial transactions involving police members. The issue sparked widespread discussion and criticism. Following an investigation ordered by the police superintendent, a preliminary inquiry found the allegations against the five police members to be true. Additional Superintendent of Police Md Lutfur Rahman and Assistant Superintendent of Police A. Hai Chowdhury told UNB that the five were suspended after the preliminary investigation substantiated the allegations. Lutfur Rahman said departmental action would be taken against them if the allegations are established in the final investigation.

A suspected member of a robbery gang was shot and injured in a gunfight with Detective Branch (DB) police in Aftabnagar under Badda Police Station on Thursday night. The injured man was identified as Md SM Ariful Islam Pavel, 30. He is from Bakerganj village in Gafargaon upazila of Mymensingh. He had been living in the Goran area of Khilgaon in Dhaka. The incident occurred around 8:45pm in the East & Housing area of Sector 5, M-Block, Aftabnagar. Gulshan DB Inspector Anwar, who was involved in the operation, said police launched a drive around 8:30pm after receiving information that an armed gang was preparing to commit a robbery in the area. Sensing the presence of DB police, Pavel allegedly pulled out a pistol and attempted to fire at the officers. In self-defence, police fired one round from a shotgun, hitting him below the right knee, the officer said. Police then arrested Pavel and recovered a pistol and three rounds of ammunition from his possession. He was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s emergency department around 10pm and is currently receiving treatment. Legal action, including filing a case with Badda Police Station, is underway.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Home Ministry on Thursday called for stronger and coordinated efforts to eliminate drugs, curb crime and further improve the country’s law and order situation and public security. The call came at the first meeting of the committee of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad, held at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban with committee chairman Zainul Abedin, MP, in the chair. The meeting identified drugs and gambling as among the country’s major problems and stressed effective measures to eliminate them. It also called for increased public awareness and a more effective and coordinated role by all concerned in combating drugs, says a press release . The meeting was informed that the Home Ministry has already taken several measures to curb drugs, including conducting mobile courts and establishing tribunals and courts with jurisdiction. The committee also reviewed the overall law and order situation and measures taken to ensure public security. A presentation on the overall activities of the Home Ministry was made before the committee. It was informed at the meeting that complete transparency had been maintained in police recruitment over the past six months without any political influence or partisan approach. The meeting was also informed about the sector-wise allocation and expenditure plans of the Ministry and its subordinate agencies for the 2026-27 fiscal year, as well as detailed sector-wise budget and expenditure allocations for all agencies under the ministry for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027. The ministry’s total proposed budget for FY2026-27 is Tk 31,099 crore, including Tk 28,638.79 crore as operating budget and Tk 2,460.21 crore as development budget. The committee stressed the need for continued necessary support and effective oversight to ensure improved law and order, public security, drug control and crime prevention. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, MP; Parliamentary Whip Rakibul Islam, MP; Parliamentary Whip Mia Nuruddin Ahmed Apu, MP; Mir Shah Alam, MP; Md Kamruzzaman, MP; Md Monwar Hossain, MP; Shirin Sultana, MP; Md Nurul Islam, MP; and Md Abdul Baten, MP, attended the meeting. The senior secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, inspector general of police, directors general of departments under the ministry, a brigadier general and other senior officials, heads of relevant agencies, and concerned officials of the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat were present.

Police have arrested two people, including a senior official of Agrani Bank, in a case filed over the missing of Tk 4.38 crore from the vault of its Laldighi East Corporate branch in Chattogram. The arrestees are Md Kamrul Hossain, 41, senior officer and cash in-charge of the branch, and Md Jafrullah Tanvir, 25. They were arrested after the bank authorities filed a case with Kotwali Police Station. Bank's General Manager Mostak Ahmed filed the case naming Kamrul and Jafrullah as accused along with several unidentified others. According to the case statement, Kamrul was responsible for the branch's cash and vault. A discrepancy was detected on August 9 while officials were reconciling the cash transactions of the day with the cash kept in the vault after regular banking operations. Subsequent scrutiny of the accounts, vault records and relevant documents revealed a shortage of Tk 4.38 crore. When questioned about the shortage, Kamrul allegedly failed to provide a satisfactory explanation. The bank alleged that Kamrul, with the assistance of Jafrullah and unidentified others, removed the money from the vault. Inspector (Investigation) Md Iqbal Hossain of Kotwali Police Station, who is investigating the case, said the two named accused were arrested over the alleged embezzlement of Tk 4.38 crore belonging to bank customers. A court later sent them to jail, he said. Police seized two mobile phones from them, along with a 64GB pen drive containing WhatsApp communications and screen recordings, the investigation officer said. The missing money was deposited by different customers, according to the bank authorities.

A Chandpur court on Thursday sentenced a youth to death and another to life imprisonment for the murder of a gold trader in the district’s Matlab South upazila. The convicts are Joy Biswas Anik ,21, son of Arjun Biswas of Munshiganj, who received the death penalty, and Hridoy Sutradhar ,21, son of Gopal Sutradhar of Matlab South, who was sentenced to life in prison. Both were also fined Tk 10,000 each, with an additional two-year rigorous imprisonment in case of default. Man accused of attempted rape dies in police custody in Chandpur Md. Kamal Hossain, Additional District and Sessions Judge (2nd Court) of Chandpur, delivered the verdict in the noon. Joy was present during the sentencing, while Hridoy remains absconding after going into hiding while on bail. The victim, Omar Sarkar ,45, was a gold trader at Narayanpur market and the son of Rabi Bhakta. According to the case details, on the night of February 21, 2022, the convicts intercepted Omar on his way home from his business, "Madhabi Shilpalay," and slit his throat with a sharp weapon. To divert suspicion, Joy himself informed the victim's father about the murder that night. Rabi Bhakta and his elder son eventually found Omar's bloody body in a nearby courtyard, just 80 yards from their home. Police arrested Hridoy and Joy on February 23 and 24, 2022, respectively. The then-investigating officer, SI Md. Habibur Rahman, submitted the charge sheet on May 10, 2022. Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) Salma Begum said that the court reached the verdict after examining 21 witnesses and reviewing the defendants' confessions. Advocate Shafiqul Islam Bhuiyan represented the defense as a state-appointed lawyer.

A Lalmonirhat court on Wednesday sentenced two people to ten years’ imprisonment each in a case filed over the recovery of 53 bottles of Phensedyl. The convicts are Md Ataur Rahman, 27, son of late Zahurul of Shibram village in Kurigram Sadar upazila, and Zion, 27, son of Nazrul Islam of the same area. Judge Md Haider Ali of the Senior District and Sessions Judge’s Court of Lalmonirhat handed down the verdict in absentia of the accused. The court also fined each of them Tk 10,000, in default, they will serve an additional six months in jail. According to the case statement, a team from Lalmonirhat Sadar Police raided the Rudraram area of Barabari Union around 11pm on April 2, 2019, following a tip-off that the two were selling drugs. Police arrested Ataur while Zion managed to flee. They later searched Ataur’s handbag and recovered 53 bottles of Phensedyl. A case was filed under the Narcotics Control Act, and police submitted a charge sheet after investigation. Following a lengthy hearing and examination of witnesses, the court found the accused guilty and handed down the sentence. State lawyer Advocate Humayun Reza Swapon welcomed the verdict, saying it sends a positive message in the fight against drugs.