United News of Bangladesh

The High Court has ordered the Law Ministry to withdraw the judicial powers of Feni Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal Judge Mamunur Rashid and attach him to the ministry for handing down death sentences to the accused in a “wholesale manner” in the Nusrat Jahan Rafi murder case. In its observation, the High Court of Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Justice KM Rasheduzzaman Raja said the trial court caused a “serious disaster” for the families of the accused by handing down arbitrary death sentences. The court also warned of the consequences of imposing death sentences indiscriminately without specific evidence and proper assessment of the facts of a case. The High Court made the observation while acquitting 10 of the 16 accused in the case, saying the charges against them have not been proved. The court upheld the death sentences of two convicts and commuted the sentences of four others to life imprisonment. Senior lawyers Mansurul Haque Chowdhury, SM Shahjahan, Tajul Islam, Barrister SM Masud Hossain Dolan and Mohammad Shishir appeared for the accused. Attorney General Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kajal and Deputy Attorney General Syed Ijaz Kabir represented the state. Relatives of both the accused and the victim were present in the courtroom when the verdict was pronounced.

The High Court on Monday upheld the death sentences of two convicts and commuted that of four others to life imprisonment in the much-discussed murder case of madrasa student Nusrat Jahan Rafi in Sonagazi upazila of Feni. The High Court bench of Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Justice KM Rasheduzzaman Raja pronounced the verdict. The condemned convicts are SM Siraj-ud-Daula, expelled principal of Sonagazi Islamia Senior Fazil Madrasa, and Shahadat Hossain alias Shamim. The lifers are Nur Uddin, Saifur Rahman Mohammad Jobayer, Jabed Hossain alias Sakhawat Hossain and Umme Sultana alias Popy. The court acquitted the remaining 10 people as the charges against them were not proved. They are Maqsood Alam alias Moksud, a former councillor and former general secretary of Sonagazi municipality Awami League; Hafez Abdul Quader; Absar Uddin; Kamrun Nahar Moni; Abdur Rahim Sharif; Iftekhar Uddin Rana; Imran Hossain alias Mamun; Ruhul Amin, president of Sonagazi Upazila Awami League and former vice-president of the madrasa; Mohiuddin Shakil; and Mohammad Shamim. The verdict was delivered in response to the death references and appeals filed in the case following the trial court’s verdict. On October 24, 2019, Feni Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal sentenced all 16 accused to death for killing Nusrat, who was set on fire at her madrasa in April that year after she had accused the madrasa principal of sexual harassment. The court also fined each of them Tk 1 lakh. According to the prosecution, Nusrat’s mother, Shirin Akhter, filed a case on March 27, 2019 against SM Siraj-ud-Daula, then principal of Sonagazi Islamia Fazil Madrasa, accusing him of sexually harassing her daughter. Siraj-ud-Daula was subsequently arrested. His supporters sought to secure his release and later plotted to silence Nusrat. On April 3, several of the accused met Siraj in jail, and on April 4 they planned to kill Nusrat at the madrasa. On April 6, Nusrat went to the madrasa to sit for her Alim examination. She was lured to the roof of a cyclone shelter attached to her madrasah, where she was set on fire after refusing to withdraw sexual assault charges against her principal. Nusrat was rescued and initially taken to Sonagazi Upazila Health Complex before being transferred to Feni General Hospital. As her condition deteriorated, she was shifted to the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital where she died on April 10, 2019. Her brother Mahmudul Hasan Noman filed the murder case on April 8. Police submitted the charge sheet on May 28, and the Feni Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal framed charges on June 20. The trial court recorded the testimony of 87 witnesses and heard arguments before delivering its verdict on October 24.  

Police have arrested two people in connection with the theft of around 330 kg of human hair, reportedly worth crores of taka, in Damurhuda upazila of Chuadanga. The arrested are covered van driver Md Shahidul Islam, 47, and factory manager Sanwar Hossain Santu, 39. Police recovered 23 sacks of stolen hair based on information provided by the arrestees. According to a press release issued by Chuadanga District Police on Sunday night, the incident took place around 1:45pm on Saturday in the Koshaghata area of Damurhuda. Police said a group of seven to eight people, armed with firearms, intercepted a covered van and took away 23 sacks of hair from the vehicle. The stolen hair weighed around 330 kg, and traders estimated its market value at more than Tk 1 crore. Atiyar Rahman Tagidar, president of the Bangladesh Hair Processing Small Business Cooperative Association, said the hair was being transported from a factory in Karpasdanga for processing.

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has denied bail to Bangladesh Air Force Wing Commander Saifur Rahman and sent him to jail in a crimes against humanity case over the 2012 enforced disappearance of BNP leader Ilias Ali. A three-member bench of Tribunal-1, headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, passed the order on Sunday and set October 25 for submission of the investigation report.Earlier in the day, Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam sought Saifur’s arrest in the case and asked the tribunal to send him to jail.The chief prosecutor said the investigation report submitted when the tribunal issued an arrest warrant against Saifur had made serious allegations against him.According to the report, Saifur was working with the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and was allegedly directly involved in several killings as an associate of Ziaul Ahsan, the disgraced senior general of the Army.The prosecution also said Saifur’s name appeared in statements given by several witnesses who testified in Ziaul Ahsan’s case.The prosecutor said there was direct evidence against Saifur in the disappearance of several victims, including Ilias Ali.He said the investigation against Saifur had only recently begun, and all information and evidence could not be disclosed at this stage in the interest of the investigation.“More information will come to light as the investigation progresses,” he said.Following the prosecution’s plea, the tribunal rejected Saifur’s bail petition and ordered that he be sent to jail.Saifur’s lawyer, Tabarak Hossain, however, sought bail, saying his client had joined the Air Force in 2003 and was a competent officer.“There are no charges against him,” the lawyer said, adding that although many accused had fled, Saifur had appeared before the tribunal out of respect for the law.He said Saifur would cooperate with the investigation whenever required and that his bail could be cancelled if he obstructed the investigation.The lawyer also requested that Saifur be kept in Air Force custody and be given the opportunity to secure bail.On August 9, Tribunal-1 issued an arrest warrant against him.BNP leader Ilias Ali went missing from Banani in Dhaka on April 17, 2012. He was the organising secretary of Sylhet BNP and was elected twice as a member of parliament from Sylhet-2 constituency.

Detectives have arrested two more suspects including the suspected mastermind in connection with the attack on Professor Md Asadur Rahman of the Department of ENT and Head-Neck Surgery at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. The arrestees are Sani Saha, 38, and Fatin Ishrak Labib, 20. DMP Additional Commissioner (DB) Md Shafiqul Islam disclosed the information at a press conference on Sunday. They were arrested from Shonir Akhra in Jatrabari and Nikunja area in Khilkhet respectively on Saturday night, he said. The suspects had planned to intimidate doctors and extort a large amount of money from them. He said Professor Asadur Rahman was returning home after seeing patients at Popular Diagnostic Centre at around 10:30pm on August 17. At around 10:45pm, when he was getting into a CNG-run auto-rickshaw, several people including Jibon alias Adil intercepted him. When the professor asked why they had stopped him, the attackers dragged him out of the auto-rickshaw and started beating him. At one stage, Jibon alias Adil struck him in the right eye. The others hit him on his head, above both eyes and different parts of his body. They also threatened and intimidated him, the DB chief said. People present at the scene informed police and Paltan Model Police Station personnel quickly went there and detained Jibon alias Adil while the others fled. Professor Asadur Rahman later received treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital and filed a case with Paltan Model Police Station against Jibon alias Adil and several unidentified people. According to the case statement, professor had received a call from an unknown number several days before the incident demanding $15000 in ransom. Shafiqul Islam said DB launched an investigation and surveillance to identify the other people involved in the attack. During interrogation, Sani reportedly told DB that he had worked as a project manager at an interior design company in Singapore on a work-permit visa from 2022 to 2025. In 2023, he became acquainted with a person named Jannat Alamgir Hossain who allegedly offered him a way to earn money through money laundering. Sani said he later invested Tk 5 crore in the business at different times and suffered losses. According to DB, after returning to Bangladesh in August 2024, Sani met Jannat Alamgir Hossain in Bashundhara Residential Area. He was then assigned to collect personal information of affluent people including their home addresses, vehicle numbers, professions, movements and financial details, Sani said. DB said the information was also used in planning to threaten Professor A K M Aminul Haque and Professor Md Asadur Rahman with death and extort large amounts of money from them. Sani later assigned Fatin Ishrak Labib to recruit people to carry out the attack, according to DB. During interrogation, Labib reportedly said he came to know Sani about two and a half months before the incident through food delivery. They later met in person in the North South University area. Labib then proposed recruiting Abu Bakar, 18, Ratul, 19, Iban, 22, Jibon, 21, and Sabbir, 18, to attack Professor Asadur Rahman in exchange for Tk 1 lakh, DB officials said. Separate cases under the Arms Act have been filed against Sani Saha and Fatin Ishrak Labib with Vatara Police Station, DB police said.

The officer-in-charges (OCs) of Tejgaon and Paltan Model police stations under Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) have been withdrawn for administrative reasons  and attached to the Central Reserve Office, Police Headquarters and Administration Division. DMP Commissioner Mosleh Uddin Ahmed issued an order to this effect on Saturday. The withdrawn officers are Inspector Kyashainu, OC of Tejgaon Police Station, and Inspector Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Khan, OC of Paltan Model Police Station. The order said the withdrawal and attachment of the two officers would take effect from Aug 22, 2026.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Saturday ordered law enforcement agencies to immediately arrest identified terrorists, extortionists, and drug dealers across Bangladesh, warning of strict action under a "zero-tolerance" policy for any failure. The minister issued the warning while briefing reporters after visiting Dr Md Asaduzzaman Rahman, a physician injured in an alleged attack by an extortion gang outside Popular Hospital in the capital's Shantinagar, at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. “There is no time limit. If law enforcement agencies cannot quickly take identified extortionists, criminals and drug dealers into custody and bring them under the law, strict action will be taken against those responsible for the failure,” he said. Referring to the attack on Dr Rahman on Aug 17, the minister said police and the Detective Branch arrested four of the seven alleged gang members, including the alleged mastermind, within 48 hours. The suspects were arrested from the scene, Lakshmipur, Dania in Jatrabari and Shyampur, he said, praising police and DB officials for swiftly identifying and arresting the suspects. According to the minister, preliminary interrogation suggests that the alleged gang leader returned to Bangladesh after suffering losses in hundi transactions abroad and subsequently formed the criminal group. The gang allegedly targeted major hospitals, prominent doctors, engineers and wealthy professionals, threatening them through messages before physically attacking them to demand large sums of money, he said. “Such activities by extortionists will not be tolerated. The operation will continue until extortion is completely eliminated,” Salahuddin said. He also said authorities were preparing lists not only of extortionists but also of police personnel allegedly involved in or assisting extortion activities. “Regardless of how influential the criminals or their patrons are, they will be brought to justice,” he said. On the security of doctors and healthcare facilities, the minister said 10 Ansar members would be deployed at each of 500 hospitals across the country. He advised doctors who feel particularly vulnerable at their private chambers or clinics to inform police. Responding to a question, Salahuddin said any citizen could apply for a licence for a shotgun or pistol if they meet the requirements under existing laws. Applications from doctors seeking firearms for personal security would be considered under government rules, he said. Social Welfare Minister Prof Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, Inspector General of Police Md Ali Hossain Fakir, DMP Commissioner Mosleh Uddin Ahmed, Additional Commissioner (DB chief) Mohammad Shafiqul Islam and Dhaka Medical College Hospital Director Brig Gen Mohammad Asaduzzaman were among those present. The home minister later visited Anwar Khan Modern Hospital in Dhanmondi to see Dr AKM Aminul Haque, who was also allegedly threatened by the same extortion gang.  

Three youths were arrested with a one-shooter gun and two live bullets from a student hostel near the bus terminal area in Jhenaidah on Saturday evening. The arrestees were identified as Faisal, Antor and Abdul Hai. District Detective Branch (DB) police conducted the raid following a tip-off, police said. Police said the three had allegedly been operating a drug syndicate in the area for a long time. Antor’s father is a sub-inspector, while Faisal, described as the main accused, is a resident of Chuadanga. Officer-in-Charge of Jhenaidah Sadar Police Station Asaduzzaman said preliminary investigation suggested that they had rented the room to store illegal firearms and operate a drug syndicate. Police were preparing to file cases against the three under the Arms and Narcotics Control Acts. The OC said no one involved in criminal activities would be spared regardless of their identity or connections, and strict legal action would be taken. Police will also seek remand for questioning the accused through the court, he added.

A case has been filed against 92 named activists of the Awami League on Friday night, whose activities are banned, under the Special Powers Act in Bishwanath upazila of Sylhet. Another 60 to 70 people have been accused anonymously in the case, while police have arrested an AL leader in connection with it. The arrested person was identified as Abdul Qayyum, 40, joint general secretary of the banned Awami League’s Ward No. 1 unit in Bishwanath municipality. BNP leader Iron Mia, 55, vice-president of the party’s Alankari Union unit, filed the case with Bishwanath Police Station under Sections 15(3) and 25D of the Special Powers Act, 1974. Police later conducted a raid and arrested Qayyum from his home. Advocate Gias Uddin Ahmed, legal affairs secretary of the banned Awami League’s Bishwanath upazila unit, was made the prime accused in the case. The other accused include acting upazila president Shah Asaduzzaman, acting general secretary Faruk Ahmed, joint secretary Mokaddas Ali, education affairs secretary Siraj Mia, member Kabir Ahmed Kubbar, former upazila vice-chairman and Jubo League leader Muhibur Rahman Sweet, and former Bishwanath municipality councillor Rafique Hasan. Several leaders of the banned party’s municipal and union-level units have also been named as accused. Some people from neighbouring Osmaninagar upazila are also among the accused. Police said the case was registered as a first information report under Section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure after receiving the complainant’s written complaint. Sub-Inspector Mohammad Shamsul Haque Sumon of Bishwanath Police Station is investigating the case. Officer-in-Charge Gazi Mahbubur Rahman confirmed Qayyum’s arrest and said police operations were continuing to identify those involved in the incident and bring them to justice following the investigation.

A Jamalpur court on Thursday sentenced seven people to death and seven others to life imprisonment for the killing of a man and his nephew in Madarganj upazila of the district in 2016. Jamalpur Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Nazam Uddin handed down the verdict in the sensational double-murder case. Two sentenced to death for raping housewife in Jamalpur The seven condemned convicts are Sakhawat, 32, Sohel, 30, Al Amin, 30, Saddam, 30, Ujjal, 30, Antar, 20, and Faizur, 32, while the lifers are Chan Mia, 50, Zia, 45, Shah Alam, 40, Kawsar, 31, Rifat, 31, Sumon, 31, and Mostafa, 50. Each of the death-row convicts was fined Tk 50,000, while each of those sentenced to life imprisonment was fined Tk 20,000. According to the prosecution, Moher Ali, 19, and his nephew Swapon Mia, 16, were taken from their home on May 16, 2016, on the pretext of attending a singing event in nearby Gazaria. When they did not return, their families searched for them and filed a general diary with Madarganj Police Station. On May 19, their bodies were found in a jute field of Kukurmari village. Their faces had been mutilated, allegedly with acid, to prevent identification. Swapon’s father Jahangir Alam later filed a murder case against 22 people. After investigation, police submitted a charge sheet against the accused. The court delivered the verdict after examining statements from 18 witnesses.