United News of Bangladesh

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested the prime accused in the 2024 murder of Farah Diba, wife of a retired Bangladesh Air Force officer, nearly two years after the killing in the capital’s Mirpur DOHS area. The accused, Md Sabuj Biswas, a driver by profession, was arrested from Kushtia following an extensive manhunt, RAB officials said on Thursday. Speaking at a press briefing at the RAB Media Centre in Karwan Bazar, RAB Legal and Media Wing Director Wing Commander MZM Intekhab Chowdhury said the murder was committed with the intention of robbery. According to RAB, Farah Diba, 60, wife of retired Wing Commander Kazi Abdul Matin, was murdered in her residence in Mirpur DOHS on October 27, 2024. A murder case was subsequently filed with Pallabi Police Station. The following day, RAB arrested security guard Md Milon Mia in connection with the incident. Based on Milon’s confessional statement recorded under Section 164 and the charge sheet submitted in the case, investigators found that Milon and Sabuj entered the house together and attacked the victim. They allegedly grabbed Farah Diba from behind and threw her to the floor. Sabuj held her mouth shut while Milon tied her hands and feet with rope and wrapped a towel around her face. She later died from suffocation. After ensuring her death, the accused looted cash and gold ornaments from an almirah before fleeing the scene, the RAB official said. “The investigation has established that the murder was carried out for robbery,” Wing Commander Intekhab said. He added that Sabuj had remained in hiding for a long period after the incident. Intelligence units from RAB Headquarters and RAB-12 had been conducting surveillance to locate him. Acting on confidential information and using information technology, a RAB team conducted a raid in the Court Station area under Kushtia Sadar Police Station on Thursday and arrested Sabuj, who was wanted under a court warrant. According to RAB, the accused had been evading arrest by using different identities and moving between various parts of the country. Asked whether the murder was driven by personal resentment or financial motives, Intekhab said the killing was committed solely for looting valuables from the house. He also urged the public to properly verify the identities and backgrounds of domestic security guards and drivers before employing them in their homes.

Members of police have seized over 5.2 million Yaba tablets along with large quantities of other drugs during the ongoing nationwide special operation launched on May 1, according to Police Headquarters. In a short SMS sent from its media wing on Thursday evening, the Police Headquarters said a total of 5,205,334 Yaba tablets were recovered during the ongoing special drive and search operations conducted across the country. The operation also led to the seizure of 5,689.87 grams of heroin, 2,036 bottles of Phensedyl, 4,744 bottles of foreign liquor, 15,109.52 litres of locally produced liquor, and 7,725.79 kgs of hemp in the last 49 days. Sources at the Police Headquarters said the special operation is being carried out nationwide as part of efforts to maintain law and order, curb criminal activities, and crack down on drug trafficking networks. The campaign, which began on May 1, continues across the country with law enforcement agencies conducting raids, searches and intelligence-based operations against drug dealers and other criminal elements. Authorities have reiterated their commitment to continuing the drive to prevent the spread of narcotics and strengthen public safety.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested two individuals for allegedly cheating a Bangladeshi expatriate out of money by promising jobs and permanent residency opportunities in Australia, according to a press release issued by the CID Media Wing on Thursday. The arrested are Rakibul Hasan, 26, of Nilphamari, and Roni Islam, 19, of Rangpur. CID’s Cyber Police Centre (CPC) conducted a raid on June 17 in Syedpur upazila of Nilphamari and arrested them, seizing six mobile phones and 12 SIM cards used in the crime. According to the case statement, the victim, an Omani expatriate, was contacted by an acquaintance who introduced a man claiming to be an Australia-based contact offering job placement services. The victim was later persuaded through mobile phone, Imo, WhatsApp and Messenger communications to send Tk 146,400 in stages for processing, visa and application fees. CID said the accused used fake identities and social media platforms, including a fraudulent Facebook page, to lure victims with promises of Australian employment and work permits. They also used foreign numbers and messaging apps to gain trust. Investigators found that Roni Islam posed as an Australia-based contact, while Rakibul Hasan assisted in receiving and transferring the fraudulently collected money through mobile financial services. CID said efforts are underway to arrest other members of the gang, and investigations are ongoing.

A Dhaka court on Thursday once again granted additional time for completing the investigation into the murder of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi, setting July 22 for the submission of the probe report in the case. With this, the deadline for submission of the probe report in the case was deferred for the 127th time. The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) was supposed to submit the report on Thursday but as it failed to do so, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ariful Islam set a new date for the submission following a petition. On March 2, 2021, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) submitted a progress report in the Sagar-Runi murder case in an affidavit form to the Attorney General’s Office. According to the report, two unidentified people were involved in the murder. On 11 February 2012, Maasranga Television News Editor Sagar Sarowar and his wife ATN Bangla senior reporter Meherun Runi were found dead at their rented apartment in the city’s West Rajabazar area Nousher Ali Roman, Runi's brother, filed a case at Sher-e-Banglanagar Police Station the following day. Police arrested Tanvir Rahman in connection with the murder case on October 1, 2012. Later, he secured bail in 2014. Law enforcers have so far arrested eight people, including Tanvir, in connection with the murder case. The seven other suspects are Rafiqul Islam, Bakul Mia, Abu Syed, Mintu alias Baggira Mintu alias Masum Mintu, Quamrul Hasan alias Arun, security guard Enam Ahmed alias Humayun Kabir and Palash Rudra Pal. Following the political changeover, on September 30, 2024, the responsibility for investigating the murder was taken away from the RAB. The High Court subsequently ordered the formation of a high-powered task force comprising experienced investigators from various law enforcement agencies and set a six-month deadline for completing the investigation. On October 17, 2024, the Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification establishing the task force. The four-member high-level task force is currently conducting the investigation, with the PBI chief serving as its convener.

Police detained five people after a group of activists of the banned Awami League staged a brief procession in Feni town on Wednesday. According to police and local sources, around 15 to 20 young men wearing face masks took part in the procession under the banner of Feni Sadar Upazila Awami League in the Station Road area around noon. A video clip of the procession later spread on Facebook, showing participants carrying a banner of Feni Sadar Upazila Awami League and chanting slogans in support of the Awami League and its leader Sheikh Hasina. The procession reportedly started from Station Road and ended at the railway station platform. Feni Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Gazi Muhammad Fawzul Azim said police launched an operation after learning about the incident and detained five individuals in the afternoon. “We are identifying those who participated in the procession. Five people have been detained and their identities are being verified,” he said. The OC added that legal action would be taken following the verification process.

Testimony from 16 witnesses has been recorded in the rape and murder case of four-year-old Tabassum in Kaliganj upazila of Jhenaidah, with the trial proceeding swiftly under special government directives. The witness testimonies were completed on Wednesday in the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal in Jhenaidah, a day after formal charges were framed against the sole accused, Abu Taher. Meanwhile, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Asaduzzaman, speaking at an exchange meeting held at the conference room of the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Jhenaidah on Wednesday afternoon, directed authorities to expedite the trial proceedings in the widely discussed case. He said the government would maintain a zero-tolerance policy against rape and drug-related crimes. Jhenaidah Court Inspector Moktar Hossain confirmed that the witness testimonies had been completed. He said only two procedural stages remain before the court can fix a date for delivering the verdict. According to court sources, the trial began approximately three and a half months, or 110 days, after the incident as part of a fast-track judicial process initiated under special government instructions. On Tuesday, Judge Salehuzzaman of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal formally framed charges against Abu Taher following a hearing attended by Public Prosecutor Advocate Akilul Islam and state-appointed defence counsel Advocate Tarikul Alam. The investigation officer and Officer-in-Charge of Kaliganj Police Station, Jellal Hossain, submitted the charge sheet to the court on May 26. Court documents show that Abu Taher, the lone accused in the case, made confessional statements under Sections 161 and 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure regarding the incident. According to the case statement, four-year-old Tabassum went missing from Badedihi village in Kaliganj on February 26. Her body was later recovered from a septic tank of a local school. Police arrested Abu Taher from Kushtia on the same night following the filing of the case. The victim’s family has demanded the swift disposal of the case and the highest possible punishment for the offender.  

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested six people, including alleged top criminal Farid Uddin Babu alias "Excel Babu", in connection with the robbery of a bKash agent and an attack on police officers in the capital's Adabor area. The arrested include Farid Uddin Babu, Rashed Khandaker, 32, Md Liton, 28, Md Tosir, 30, and Md Tariqul Islam, 25. Two other suspects, Amir and Rubel, were also apprehended during subsequent operations. RAB-2 Commander Additional DIG Naimul Hasan disclosed the information at a press briefing at the RAB Media Centre in Karwan Bazar on Wednesday. According to RAB, a group of armed robbers entered a bKash outlet in the Shekhertek area of Adabor around 4:50pm on Tuesday. The attackers allegedly hacked the agent with a machete, snatched around Tk 3 lakh and a mobile phone, and fled the scene. Acting on information, Adabor police later conducted a raid in the Turag Housing area. During the operation, the suspects allegedly attacked police officers with locally made weapons, seriously injuring Adabor Police Station Officer-in-Charge Zaidul Islam and Sub-Inspector Tarun. Police opened fire in self-defence, leaving two suspects, Amir and Rubel, with gunshot injuries, officials said. Naimul Hasan said RAB launched intelligence-led operations immediately after the incident and carried out separate raids in Mohammadpur's Pirerbag area, Adabor and Mirpur from Tuesday night until early Wednesday. During the raids, six suspects, including Excel Babu, were arrested. A motorcycle, a machete and a mobile phone believed to have been used in the robbery were recovered. The RAB official said Excel Babu admitted his involvement with the "wrist-cutting" gang. He claimed that Babu had been a mentor to the gang's founder Anwar and its current leader Abu Sayeed. According to RAB, Abu Sayeed took charge of the gang after Anwar's arrest.

A Chattogram tribunal on Wednesday sentenced the lone accused to life imprisonment in a case filed over the rape of a three-and-a-half-year-old girl in the Bakalia area of Chattogram city last month. Judge of the Chattogram Children Violence Suppression Tribunal Syeda Hafsa Juma handed down the punishment, setting a new precedent in judicial proceedings as the trial concluded within 27 days following the incident. The convict is Monir Hossain, 32, a worker of a decorator shop in the Bakalia area. He hails from Muradnagar upazila in Cumilla district. The court also fined him Tk 50,000. The convict was present in the dock when the judge pronounced the verdict. According to the prosecution, the girl was raped by Monir on May 21 this year. Local people caught him red-handed and later police arrested him. However, while he was being taken to the police station after the arrest, an agitated crowd surrounded them, demanding that he be handed over to them. To bring the situation under control, police charged baton, lobbed teargas shells and fired sound grenades, leaving several of them injured. During the incident, the angry mob also set fire to a police vehicle. On June 4, police completed investigation against Monir and submitted a charge sheet against him on June 9. GM Zahed Hossain, lawyer of the plaintiff, said they will file an appeal with the High Court seeking capital punishment for the convict.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Wednesday expressed concern over the growing number of patients addicted to Ice (crystal methamphetamine) being admitted to drug rehabilitation centres across Bangladesh. Speaking in Parliament, the minister said the increase in Ice addiction cases is  alarming and highlighted the need for stronger and more coordinated efforts to combat the spread of narcotics in the country. The Minister said this while responding to a written question of BNP MP M Abul Kalam. He told House that the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) has formulated a 180-day action plan, a work plan for the 2026–27 fiscal year, and a five-year strategic implementation framework in line with the current government's election manifesto. The minister also said a proposal to modernise the Narcotics Control Act, 2018 has already been finalised by a committee formed by the DNC. Describing the strengthening of the DNC as highly relevant in the face of the growing drug menace nationwide, Salahuddin Ahmed said the department has been working relentlessly to curb narcotics trafficking and abuse. He noted that the DNC is conducting regular patrol operations through temporary checkpoints established in border districts to prevent the smuggling of drugs from neighbouring Myanmar and India. The minister reaffirmed the government's commitment to strengthening anti-narcotics measures and enhancing the operational capacity of the DNC to address emerging drug-related challenges across the country.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Mosleh Uddin Ahmed on Wednesday ordered police officials to intensify drives against drug dealers, extortionists, muggers and other criminals, stressing the need for heightened vigilance to maintain law and order across the capital. He made the directives while addressing senior police officials at the monthly crime review meeting for May 2026 held at the DMP headquarters. The DMP chief instructed officers to intensify crackdown against drugs, and arrest warrant-listed accused in areas under their respective jurisdictions. He also stressed the need to keep police stations free from brokers and directed all concerned to remain alert so that no crime could take place within their areas. Mosleh Uddin said officers demonstrating good performance will be rewarded, while strict action will be taken against any negligence of duty, breach of discipline or activities that tarnish the image of the police. Speaking at the meeting, Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operations) SN Md Nazrul Islam said all officials must work in a coordinated manner to ensure the smooth implementation of programmes marking the upcoming Holy Ashura. He urged police personnel to remain watchful to prevent any disorder or deterioration of the law-and-order situation. During the meeting, the DMP commissioner presented awards to officers of different ranks in recognition of their contributions to maintaining law and order, controlling crime and ensuring public safety in the capital in May.