United News of Bangladesh

Detectives in a drive arrested eleven leaders and activists of Awami League and its associate’s bodies from different parts of the capital in the past 24 hours till Monday morning. The arrestees were identified as Sultana Ahmed Lipi, 46, Women councilor of Kadamtoli 58-59-60 ward, Sabur Hossain, 48, Aps of former AL leader of Gaibandha-2 constituency, Shah Bipul Khandaker alias Bodi, 40, general secretary of Pabnapur union unit Kreshak League in Gaibandha, Kamal Pasha Chowdhury, 65, AL blogger and online activist, Sohagh Mia, 33, vice-president of Kishoreganj district unit banned Chhatra League, Matlab Munshi, 55, vice-president of Dhaka Cantonment unit Awami League, Ramij Uddin Sarkar, 58, president of Subol union unit Awami League in Cumilla, Ayub Ali Tarafdar, 47, president of Sariakandi upazila unit Jubo League, Saidur Rahman Titu, 48, vice-president of Bongshal unit Jubo League, Syed Amanullah Hossain alias Apu, 59, general secretary of Tejgaon Induatrial unit AWami League and Ariful Islam, 38, vice-president of Dhaka North city unit Chhatra League. Tipped off, a team of DB police conducted drives in different parts of the capital and arrested them, said Talebur Rahman, DC (Media) of the DMP. All of them were wanted in different cases filed during the July uprising.

Stressing the government’s ongoing efforts to recover illegal arms and improve the law-and-order situation, Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Monday said the nationwide special drive will continue until the national election. “Although we haven’t been able to recover all the arms that have gone missing, efforts are going on. This special drive is being carried out across the country and will continue until the election,” he told reporters after a meeting of the Law and Order Core Committee at the Secretariat. He said mob violence will come down to zero and no leniency will be shown in such cases. The election will be held under the current law enforcement agencies and it will be conducted smoothly, the adviser said. The Adviser emphasised that discussions at the meeting covered all aspects of national security, including recent incidents and potential future challenges. People-friendly policing key to restoring public trust: Home Affairs Adviser “We focus particularly on drug-related crimes, which have become a major issue. While many Yaba smugglers are being held, the big players are still at large. We are working to bring them under the law,” Alam Chowdhury said. Asked whether there was any security concern surrounding August 5, he replied, “You are better judges of how things were on August 5 after the Awami League had left office. Compare that with today. Whether there’s been any improvement is for you to assess.” Admitting that the law-and-order situation in Bangladesh has never matched international standards, he said they could not reach that level but prayed for the future government to do so. On public concerns over unrest, especially on August 5, Alam Chowdhury dismissed any fear, saying, “There’s no reason to panic. All programmes will be held peacefully, InshaAlah. We just need your cooperation in covering these events responsibly.” On election-related violence, he reaffirmed that the government is training forces and increasing deployment to maintain peace. 92 arrested, 216 looted arms recovered from Sept 4 to Sept 25: Police HQ In response to concerns about unequal police protection, the adviser said all parties receive security based on vulnerability assessments provided by agencies and media inputs.

A Jashore court on Sunday sentenced three people to death and another to two years in jail in a case over the killing of a three-wheeler driver in Bagherpara upazila of the district around five years back.   Jashore Additional District and Sessions Judge of the 2nd court Jayanti Rani Das passed the order in the presence of one of the death-row convicts; said the court’s Additional Public Prosecutor SM Abdur Razzak. Those sentenced to death are Jewel Khan, son of Jahangir Khan of Rampur village in Shalikha upazila of Magura, Harun-or-Rashid, son of Selim Hossain of the same upazila, and Alamin, son of Hazrat Ali, a resident of Uttar Lalitadah village in Jashore Sadar. They were fined Tk 40, 000 each while only Harun was present during the delivery of the judgment. Besides, Russell Mollah, son of Sultan Mallik of Shabuj Nagar village in Pirojpur Sadar, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. He was also fined Tk 10, 000, in default of which he will suffer three months’ more in jail. According to the case statement, three-wheeler driver Al Amin, a resident of Harishpur village under the Shalikha upazila of Magura, went missing since he went out of home for work on December 9 in 2021. Man gets death penalty for violating daughter in Manikganj His vehicle was recovered by Chasda police  in Jashore a day after his missing. On the same day, locals spotted his body lying along a road in Budhopur village under Bagherpara upazila. On December 11 of the same year, the victim’s father Mostafizur Rahman filed a case accusing some unidentified people with the police station concerned. On December 25, police arrested four accused and submitted the chargesheet against them on December 14 in 2022. The convicts hijacked the vehicle after killing Al Amin and sold it to Russell, according to the chargesheet.

A fish enclosure owner was hacked to death by miscreants in Moheshwarpasha Bonikpara area of Khulna sadar on Sunday night. The deceased was identified as Al Amin, son of Sahed Ali. According to the police and local sources, some unidentified attackers intercepted Amin while he was passing the area and hacked him with a sharp weapon around at 10 pm, leaving him dead. Youth stabbed to death in Khulna Zahidul Islam, Officer-in-Charge (Investigation) of Daulatpur Police Station, said they found the body with throat silted and a motorbike beside it. Police collected CCTV footages near the crime scene.

The Bangladesh Navy has detained 14 Indian fishermen along with a fishing trawler for illegally entering and fishing in Bangladeshi waters in the Bay of Bengal. The arrest was made on Saturday night by the Navy’s warship BNS Bishkhali from the deep-sea area near the fairway buoy off Mongla Port. Mohammad Zahidul Islam, senior fisheries officer of Mongla Upazila, said that a significant quantity of marine fish, including hilsa, was found on board the Indian trawler. The recoveries will be auctioned, while the trawler and the fishermen have been handed over to Mongla Police Station for legal proceedings, he said. “All of the detained fishermen are residents of various parts of the South 24 Parganas district in India,” he added. Mongla Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Anisur Rahman said a case will be filed under the maritime boundary law for illegal entry and fishing. The detainees are expected to be produced before the Bagerhat court on Monday. Earlier on July 14, Navy detained 34 Indian fishermen along with two trawlers, FB Jhar and FB Mangal Chandi, for illegally fishing in Bangladesh's territorial waters.

Police have arrested Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Mohammad Ali in connection with the killing of Shaikh Ashabul Yamin, a student of the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), during last year’s July Uprising. The arrest was made during a raid in the Murapara area under Rupganj upazila in Narayanganj in the early hours of Sunday, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Rupganj Police Station Md Tariqul Islam confirmed Sunday night. ASI Mohammad Ali, who had been on the run, was later handed over to the investigation agency of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT). According to police sources, an arrest warrant had been issued against Mohammad Ali in connection with a case filed with the ICT. On July 18, 2024, Yamin, a third-year student at MIST, was fatally shot near the Savar bus stand in a police firing incident involving an armored personnel carrier (APC). Eyewitnesses and video footage circulating on social media alleged that police dragged his body from the scene and dumped it near Pakijar More, sparking nationwide outrage. Although at first the body looks lifeless, it was later established that Yamin was still alive at that point. That made it a shocking abdication of responsibility on the part of police, who completely neglected their duty to get him medical assistance. Amnesty International came in possession of three separate videos showing different phases of the incident, where none of the 12 officers seen in them attempted to provide medical aid to Yamin.  Amnesty said this was a violation of Section 5(c) of the United Nations Basic Principle on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, that requires law enforcement officials to ensure that assistance and medical aid are rendered to any injured or affected persons at the earliest possible moment. Derrick Pounder, an independent forensic pathologist who examined photographic evidence of the wounds to Yamin’s chest, told Amnesty that the cause of his death could reasonably be presumed to have been due to the birdshot pellet injuries to the left front chest visible on his body.

The High Court on Tuesday ordered the eviction of 508 illegal establishments along Gumti River within six months. The HC bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Md Bashir Ullah passed the order after disposing of a rule issued in this regard 14 years ago. Advocate Manzil Murshid stood for the petitioner. The HC also asked the Water Development Board to take decision over the proposal of dredging within three months and settle the issue of allocating money needed for the eviction drive within this period. The Superintendent of Cumilla Police and Upazila Nirbahi Officer have been asked to monitor as none can occupy the river illegally. During the hearing Manzil Murshid said a list had been prepared with names and addresses but none was evicted yet. In 2011, a human rights organisation Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh filed a writ petition. On March 2, 2011, the High Court asked to submit a list of those involved in occupying the lands of Gomti River and fixed the demarcation boundary of the river through survey. During the survey, the local administration identified 623 illegal establishments and informed the court to take steps to evict the 265 illegal establishments.

A Sylhet court on Sunday convicted a pair of brothers in a case filed over a double-murder in 2007, and sentenced Judge of the Sylhet Additional Session Judge Court-5 Jhalak Roy handed down the punishment. The court also sentenced another accused to life imprisonment and two others to ten-month in jail in the case. The condemned convicts were identified as Borhan Uddin, 46 and Abdun Nur, 53, two sons of Abu Shaheed of Kanaighat upazila of the district. The court also fined them Tk 5,000 each. They were tried in absentia. The court also sentenced Borhan Uddin to five years jail and fined Tk 10,000, in default, to suffer six months in jail while Abdun Nur to one year jail in another section of the case. The lifer was identified as Abdus Shukkur, 50. The court also fined him TK 10,000, in default to one year more in rigorous imprisonment. The court also sentenced Saidul, 58 and Sultan, 38, son of Abu Shaheed to ten-month jail. Another accused of the case Abdul Kashim died during the trial proceedings. According to the prosecution, the convicts hit Sajida, wife of Abdullah of Poita village in Kanaighat upazila, with a sharp weapon following a dispute over demarcating the boundary wall of their houses on July 22, 2007. When Abdullah went to his house, the convicts beat him up mercilessly. At one stage, the convicts hit Abu Bakar, father of Abdullah, with a sharp weapon when he went to save his son. In the meantime, the convicts also beat up Moin Uddin, 60, father-in-law of Abdullah and Abdullah’s brother-in-law Habibur Rahman, when they went to save the victims. Later, they were taken to Kanaighat Upazila Health Complex where the doctors declared Abu Bakar dead. Meanwhile, Moin Uddin succumbed to his injuries at Osmani Medical College and Hospital, four days after the attack. A case was filed in this connection. Police submitted chargesheet against six people on October 14, 2007.  

A Dhaka court on Sunday sent three officials of online airline ticketing platform ‘Flight Expert’ to jail in connection with a case filed over embezzlement of customers’ funds. The accused are Sakib Hossain, 32, Head of Finance; Sayed Ahmed, 40, Chief Commercial Officer; and AKM Sadat Hossain, 32, Chief Operating Officer of the company. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Minhazur Rahman passed the order after rejecting their bail petitions. During the hearing, the court said embezzling an amount a large as Tk 5,000–6,000 crore could not have occurred overnight. They have been serving in the organisation for a long time and it is not possible to suddenly misappropriate such a huge amount, the court observed. Kushtia horror: ‘They tied my husband to a tree and took me!’ On behalf of the accused, lawyer Afzal Hossain Mridha said that the three were mere employees and had no direct involvement in the embezzlement. "They are actually victims. The owner has fled, and they have been arrested simply because they worked for the company," he said adding that there are no specific allegations directly linking them to the financial misconduct. Earlier, police arrested them on Saturday. A customer named Bipul Sarkar filed a case with Motijheel Police accusing five people. In addition to the three arrested officials—the case also names Flight Expert's Managing Director Salman Bin Rashid Shah Saim and his father MA Rashid. The two remain at large. According to case documents, Flight Expert abruptly stopped operations on Saturday evening, leaving thousands of customers and ticket-selling agencies in limbo. Chargesheet filed in first murder case from July Uprising in Ctg Many had made advance payments for air tickets, tour packages, and other services and the shutdown has raised serious concerns about the recovery of crores of taka in customer funds. Several employees of the company have claimed that the owners closed the business without warning and fled the country, further deepening the crisis. Plaintiff Bipul Sarkar alleged in the case that Tk 4.79 crore was embezzled from the customers through fraudulent means. Founded in March 2017, Flight Expert quickly got popularity by offering convenient and low-cost services such as airline ticket booking, hotel reservations, visa assistance, and tour packages for both domestic and international travel.  

After finishing her shift at a small eatery in Baro Mile, a hardworking woman began her usual ride home with her husband, unaware that the night in kushtia would take a tragic turn. What followed in a nearby litchi orchard of Bheramara upazila will scar the couple forever. A group of five men intercepted the three-wheeler. The 26-year-old woman and her husband were no match for the sudden violence. The men dragged them into the orchard, tied the husband to a tree and began to beat him. Then, the woman was taken deeper into the trees and raped. “I could hear her screaming,” the husband later told police, choking on his words. “I couldn’t do anything. They had tied me up like an animal.” The alleged perpetrators, all from Bahirchar union, were swiftly detained by the police. Among them are Kalu Pramanik, 46, Murshid Sheikh, 45, Titu Mondal alias Tipu, 42, Ejajul, 42, and van driver Rubel Ali, 24. Two get life term for rape in Naogaon Police said that three of them have confessed to the crime. But even after enduring such a harrowing ordeal, the couple’s trauma did not end there. According to locals, the woman and her husband were taken to Bheramara Police Station after residents, hearing her desperate screams, called the national emergency helpline 999. Shockingly, they alleged that the couple was held at the station overnight without sending the woman for urgent medical examination. “They were kept there till 9am the next day,” a resident said. When asked, officer-in-charge (OC) of Bheramara Police Station Abdur Rob denied that the couple was kept without proper care. Superintendent of Police Md Mizanur Rahman assured that the woman would be taken for medical tests once the formal complaint process was completed. “Police detained five suspects soon after receiving the complaint,” he added. This isn’t just another police case, another line in a register. It is the story of a woman who survived a night of unimaginable brutality, and of a man who stood powerless as criminals tore through their lives. Khagrachhari rape underscores grave threat to women and children’s safety: MJF In just the first three months of 2024, at least 114 women fell victim to rape in Bangladesh, according to a report released by Ain o Salish Kendra yesterday. Among the victims, three were killed following the assault and one took her own life, the human rights group said, highlighting the ongoing crisis of violence against women.