United News of Bangladesh

A court in Jamalpur on Monday sentenced a man to death for murdering his wife over dowry, while three others were sentenced to life imprisonment in a separate abduction and rape case. The court also fined the convicts, Md Hafizul, alias Afzal, Tk 5 lakh while three others fined Tk 1 lakh for each person. Judge Abdur Rahim of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-1 delivered the verdicts in the presence of the accused. Man to die for killing teenage girl after rape in Magura The death-row convict is Md Hafizul, alias Afzal, 37, son of the late Prodhan of Merurchar village in Bokshiganj upazila. The three convicts sentenced to life imprisonment are Shamim, 33, son of Sadeq Ali of Bharuakhali Sheikhbari in Jamalpur Sadar upazila, Shipon, 25, son of Khos Mahmud of neighbouring Haripur village, and Jalal Mia, 35, son of Mahir Uddin of Bishnupur village. Public Prosecutor of the tribunal Advocate Fazlul Haque said Amena Begum married her second daughter, Hanufa Begum, to Hafizul. After the marriage, Hafizul allegedly subjected Hanufa to physical and mental torture, repeatedly demanding dowry. To ensure her daughter's well-being, Amena paid him large sums of money on several occasions. However, Hafizul later demanded an additional Tk 1 lakh and intensified the abuse. On the morning of September 4, 2012, after failing to obtain the demanded dowry, Hafizul strangled Hanufa to death, the prosecutor said. Following the incident, Amena filed a murder case with Bakshiganj Police Station. After examining testimonies from seven prosecution witnesses, the tribunal found Hafizul guilty and sentenced him to death along with a Tk 5 lakh fine. In the separate case, the tribunal sentenced three men to life imprisonment over the abduction and rape of an SSC examinee. According to the prosecution, on the morning of December 22, 2024, the minor victim, daughter of Kabir Hossain of Haripur village in Bharuakhali under Jamalpur Sadar upazila, left home for private tuition. A group of three to four men led by Shamim, who had been waiting in a private car near her house, allegedly abducted her and raped her at different locations. The victim's father filed an abduction and rape case with Jamalpur Sadar Police Station on January 2, 2025. After recording statements from eight prosecution witnesses, the tribunal sentenced Shamim, Shipon and Jalal Mia to life imprisonment and fined them.

A Dhaka court on Monday sent Regent Hospital Chairman Mohammad Shahed to jail in a cheque dishonour case. Judge of the Dhaka Joint Metropolitan Session Judge Court-5 Sadik Ahmed passed the order after rejecting his bail petition in the case, said his lawyer Mohammad Dabir Uddin. On May 4, last year, a court sentenced him to one year jail in the case. Police on Monday arrested Shahed the ECB Chattar area in Mirpur with the assistance of Cantonment thana Police. Pallabi Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Hasan said Shahed was arrested on the basis of a warrant issued in a CR (Complaint Register) case. On September 4, 2024, he secured bail in all the cases filed against him. Rapid Action Battalion arrested Shahed from Satkhira district on July 15, 2020 in a case over issuing fake Covid-19 testing report during the pandemic..

Police on Monday arrested Mohammad Shahed, the controversial chairman of Regent Hospital who previously served jail term in a case  over issuing fake Covid-19 testing report during the pandemic. Shahed was arrested around 1:00 pm from the ECB Chattar area in Mirpur with the assistance of Cantonment thana Police, according to Pallabi Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Hasan Basir. The OC told UNB that Shahed was arrested on the basis of a warrant issued in a CR (Complaint Register) case. Legal procedures in connection with the case are currently underway, the OC added. He secured bail in all the cases filed against him on September 4, 2024. Rapid Action Battalion arrested Shahed from Satkhira district on July 15, 2020.    

A Thakurgaon tribunal on Sunday sentenced three people to life term imprisonment unto death while three others to life imprisonment for violating a girl in 2011. Judge of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal Ali Mansur handed down the judgment. Those who get life imprisonment until death are—Anis Rana, Saiful Islam and Dulal of Dakkhin Salandar area in Sadar upazila of Thakurgaon district. The tribunal also fined them Tk 2 lakh each. Among them, Anis tried in absentia. The lifers are-Anisur, Khatibur Ritu and Lalu of Sadar upazila. The tribunal also fined them Tk 1 lakh each in default, to suffer one year more in rigorous imprisonment. The tribunal also asked the deputy commissioner of Thakurgaon to realise the money from the convicts after selling their property through auction and provide it to the girl. The tribunal issued an arrest warrant against Anis Rana as he remained absconding for long. According to the prosecution, the convicts picked a 14-year-old girl to an abandoned place and violated her in turn at Dakkhin Salandar area in Sadar upazila of thakurgaon district on October 21, 2011. The girl’s father filed a case against the convict four days after the crime. Later police arrested five of them.

The prosecution of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has received the draft report of the Investigation Agency in a case filed in connection with the Shapla Chattar massacre during a Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh rally in 2013. ICT Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Aminul Islam confirmed the development on Sunday, saying deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Army chief Aziz Ahmed among 41 people were named as accused in the case. "The report is now under review and will be submitted to the International Crimes Tribunal on the scheduled date of July 21," he said. Former Ekattor TV Editor-in-Chief Mozammel Haque Babu, channel's former Chief Reporter Farzana Rupa, journalist Shahriar Kabir, as well as the then chiefs of the police and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and the then Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner were also accused in the case. Meanwhile, a Hefazat delegation, led by its Senior Nayeb-e-Ameer Abdul Hamid, met the ICT chief prosecutor on Sunday morning to learn about the progress of the case. On May 5, 2013, Hefazat launched “Dhaka Blockade” programme protesting alleged insult to the Holy Quran and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and to press for its 13-point agenda. On that day, thousands of religious scholars, madrasah students and supporters gathered in Dhaka and later occupied the Shapla Chattar in Motijheel.  A late-night joint forces operation was carried out when the gathering was dispersed amid gunfire, tear gas and sound grenades. Numerous casualties were reported although exact figures have long been disputed. Despite 11 years passing since the incident, the trial has not been completed during the tenure of the Awami League government. However, the issue resurfaced following political changes on August 5, 2024. After the July uprising and formation of the interim government, Hefazat leader Azizul Haque Islamabadi filed a complaint with the ICT naming Sheikh Hasina and several others as accused. The complaint also includes names of former ministers, senior security officials and police chiefs.

Police arrested seven accused within four hours of filing a murder case over the killing of a security guard who was allegedly beaten to death after a group of men entered a garage in Chattogram's Double Mooring area. The arrestees were identified as Sheikh Ahmed Rubel, 35, Md Saiful Islam, 27, Moniruzzaman Mamun, 28, Md Jamal Uddin Mizan, 45, Md Golam Rabbani, 55, Md Abul Bashar, 39, and Peyar Ahmad, 55. The information was disclosed by Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operations) Muhammad Faisal Ahmed at a press briefing held at the CMP headquarters on Friday. The victim, Abu Siddique, was killed around 10 pm on July 15 in the Double Mooring area. According to Faisal Ahmed, the named accused, along with several unidentified individuals, allegedly entered the garage and launched an assault on Abu Siddique, repeatedly punching and beating him. During the attack, one of the assailants allegedly struck the victim multiple times with the iron rim of a rickshaw wheel, inflicting critical injuries that led to his death at the scene. According to the first information report (FIR), filed by complainant Md Aslam, 34, the attackers later placed the body inside a mini pickup parked in the garage in an apparent attempt to conceal the crime before fleeing. A case was filed with Double Mooring Model Police Station on Friday morning under sections 302, 201 and 34 of the Penal Code. Following the filing of the case, police launched an immediate operation and arrested all seven named accused within four hours. Police said the suspects admitted their involvement in the incident during preliminary interrogation. The case is currently under investigation.

A rickshaw puller was allegedly killed by unidentified miscreants who are believed to have fled with his battery-run rickshaw in Goalanda upazila of Rajbari. The deceased was identified as Zahid Biswas, 35, son of Jamal Biswas of Jawani Para village in Ward No. 3 of Goalanda Municipality. Police recovered his body from the roadside in the Chameli Park area under Ward No. 9 of Devgram Union at around 2:30 pm on Friday. Locals said Zahid usually operated his battery-run rickshaw at night. He had been out of work for four to five days after the rickshaw's battery became damaged. After borrowing money to replace the battery, he left home with the rickshaw at around 5 pm on Thursday but did not return. When he remained missing throughout the night and until Friday afternoon, his family began searching for him. At around 2 pm on Friday, locals spotted a body lying on the roadside slope near Chameli Park and informed police. A photo of the body was also shared on social media, prompting family members to rush to the spot, where they identified Zahid. Rajbari Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle) Md Shahidul Islam and Goalanda Ghat Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Shafiqul Islam visited the scene. OC Shafiqul Islam said the body was being sent to Rajbari Sadar Hospital for an autopsy. "The exact cause of death will be confirmed after the autopsy. However, we suspect the victim may have been killed to steal the rickshaw he was using," he said, adding that legal proceedings are underway. Zahid is survived by his elderly parents, wife, one son and one daughter.  

The Traffic Division of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) filed 2,085 cases against motorists for violating traffic rules during drives conducted across the capital on Wednesday. According to the DMP Traffic Division, the highest number of cases-490-was recorded in the Traffic-Wari Division, followed by 328 in Traffic-Mirpur, 327 in Traffic-Motijheel, 286 in Traffic-Tejgaon, 207 in Traffic-Gulshan, 194 in Traffic-Lalbagh, 165 in Traffic-Uttara and 88 in Traffic-Ramna. During the drives, police also impounded 577 vehicles and towed away 264 others. The DMP said its traffic enforcement drives will continue to maintain discipline on the roads across the capital.

A tribunal in Tangail on Wednesday sentenced a man to death for killing a schoolgirl after abduction in 2023. Tangail Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal Judge ANM Elias handed down the judgment. The condemned convict is Sabbir Mia, son of Anwar Hossain of Dariapur village in Sakhipur upazila of the district. Lone accused in child rape case sentenced to death in Chattogram The tribunal also fined him Tk 30,000. Besides, the tribunal also sentenced him to 15 years in jail and fined Tk 20,000 for abducting the girl while the court sentenced him life imprisonment and fined Tk 30,000 for confining the girl to realise ransom. The same tribunal also fined the convict to five years in jail and fined Tk 10,000 for hiding the body of the girl through setting fire after pouring kerosene. According to the prosecution, the convict abducted Samia Akter, 9, a class III student of Dariapur Uttar Government Primary School and daughter of Ranju Mia of the village and took her to a forest while she was returning to her home from tuition on September 6, 2023. Later, the convict strangulated the girl and covered the body of Samia to a drain adjacent to a paddy field. In the meantime, he demanded Tk 5 lakh as ransom from Samia’s father after sending a message through Imo. On September 7, the victim's father filed a case with Sakhipur Police Station. Later, police recovered the body of Samia from the drain on September 8, 2023. Police arrested Sabbir on September 28, 2023 with the help of technology and he later gave a confessional statement before the court under section 164. On February 11, 2024, police submitted chargesheet against Sabbir.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested 377 people and filed 41 cases during its regular drives across the capital in the 24 hours until 6:00 am on Tuesday. According to DMP, the arrests included 40 by Ramna Division, 26 by Lalbagh Division, 55 by Wari Division, 25 by Motijheel Division, 64 by Tejgaon Division, 85 by Mirpur Division, 32 by Gulshan Division, 43 by Uttara Division and seven by the Detective Branch (DB). During the drives, police recovered 3,030 yaba tablets, 55.23 kilograms of cannabis, 1,200 bottles of Phensedyl, one private car, two microbuses, one lock-cutting machine, six mobile phones, Tk 330 in cash, and rescued one victim. DMP Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media and Public Relations) Niaz Mehdi said the suspects were arrested during operations conducted in different police station areas across the capital, with law enforcers also recovering narcotics and other items. Legal proceedings against the arrested individuals are underway, he added.