A police officer in Munshiganj was ‘closed’ and attached to the district police line for allegedly trying to extort money through threats of crossfire from a businessman. The accused is Mohammad Suman, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Gazaria police station. Mahfuzur Rahman Al Mamun, Superintendent of Police (SP) of Munshiganj, said the officer was closed and attached to the district police line today. The businessman, Shakil Farazi, said the police officer informed him on Sunday that a narcotic case was filed against him at Narayanganj port police station. The ASI picked him up on a white microbus on Monday morning, he said. The microbus went to a remote area of Char Baushia area. Shakil said there were three other persons in the microbus- constable Rafiqul, unidentified man who claimed to be an ASI, and the driver. “They held me at gunpoint and demanded TK 2 lakh,” he said. They snatched away his mobile phone, and money, beat him, and tried to handcuff him, he said. Meanwhile, some locals gathered on the spot and rescued him. The accused ASI, Suman, told UNB that one of his friends, a police officer at Narayanganj port police station, informed him about a case filed against the businessman. “My friend came to Gazaria, and we took Shakil there to talk in ‘private’.”  

Eleven athletes, including three under-17 players, and a coach, who participated in the just-concluded Sheikh Kamal 2nd Bangladesh Youth Games in Dhaka, were arrested  in Rajshahi on charges of ‘beating’ a police officer and ‘stealing’ his wife’s ornaments. The arrestees are Brishti Moni, 16, Jemi Akter, 14, Rimi Khanan, 17, Farhana Khandokar, 17, Sabrina Akter, 19, Dipali, 19, Papia Sarwar Purnima, 19, Khadiza Khatun, 18, Abdul Al Jahid, 16, Ali Azam, 19, Ramjan, 19, Akash Ali Mohan, 20, and coach Ahsan Kabir, 45. Belal Hossain, a relative of a minor female athlete said, the athletes and the coach returned to Rajshahi by Dhumketu Express train from Dhaka Sunday noon. Also Read: Youth Games: Rangpur, Rajshahi divisions reach women's football final Police constable Golam Kibria assaulted a female athlete while the athletes were searching for their missing luggage after the train reached Rajshahi rail station, he alleged. “He attacked another athlete as well. After they got off the train a fight erupted again,” he said. He also said railway police took them to the police station to settle the matter but later filed a case against them. Also Read: PM Hasina opens final phase of Sheikh Kamal Youth Games Gopal Kumar, officer-in-charge of Rajshahi Railway Police Station, said, police constable Golam Kibria’s wife Sultana Razia Sultana filed the case against athletes alleging that they beat up her husband and stole her gold chain. Kibria was sent to the Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital, he said. He also said that the police officer’s brother Golam Sarwar, also a witness in the case, denied any incident inside the train. “He claimed they had a dispute over getting off the train, and then a fight erupted,” said the OC. Liton Hossain, acting chief judicial magistrate of the chief judicial magistrate court of Rajshahi, sent seven of the accused athletes to jail when they were produced before the court. Women and Child repression Prevention Tribunal-2 granted the minors and women athletes interim bail till 10 am on Monday. The lawyer of the accused, Mainul Islam said, there’s no specific allegation against the minors. “Judge Md. Hasanuzzaman will give the final decision after the full hearing on Monday,” he said.    

A former London police officer was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison with a minimum term of 30 years for raping and sexually assaulting a dozen women over a 17-year period. Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick, 48, admitted last month he was a serial rapist in what prosecutors described as one of the most shocking cases involving a serving police officer. Carrick, who joined the force in 2001, pleaded guilty to 49 offenses including 24 counts of rape and charges including assault, attempted rape and false imprisonment. His crimes took place between 2003 and 2020. During Tuesday's sentencing hearing, Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb said the former officer “took monstrous advantage of women” behind a public appearance of propriety and trustworthiness. “You brazenly raped and sexually assaulted a number of women, some very brutally, and you behaved as if you were untouchable. You were bold and at times relentless, trusting that no victim would overcome her shame and fear to report you," the judge told Carrick. “For nearly two decades, you were proved right but now a combination of those 12 women, by coming forward, and your police colleagues, by acting on their evidence, have exposed you and brought you low," she added. Authorities said Carrick used his status as a police officer to control and coerce his victims. The Metropolitan Police said his crimes had a “devastating impact” on the force, and apologized to victims after it emerged that nine allegations of rape and other crimes were made against Carrick between 2000 and 2021. He was only suspended from the force after his arrest for a rape complaint in 2021.  

Another police officer of the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP) has been sent on compulsory retirement. Public Security Division under the Home Ministry, issued a notification in this regard, signed by its senior secretary Md Aminul Islam Khan on Wednesday. Read more: 2 Additional DIGs sent on compulsory retirement According to the notice, Md Ali Hossain Fakir, former commanding officer of Armed Police Battalion-3, has been sent on compulsory retirement according to section 45 of Public Service Act, 2018. The order will come into effect immediately in public interest, the notification said. Read more: Three SPs sent on compulsory retirement Ali Hossain was last attached to Rajshahi Range Police, it added. Earlier, two police officers of the rank of Additional Deputy Inspector General and three SPs were sent on compulsory retirement on October 31 and October 18 respectively.