Irregularities including theft and missing of goods at Carew & Co. (Bangladesh) Ltd, a traditional industry in the southwestern district of Chuadanga’s Darshana, have become a common phenomenon, thanks to the indifference of the authorities concerned. The mismanagement has apparently turned into a rule at the industry which is embroiled in ongoing issues of theft, particularly concerning foreign liquor. It also produces various alcoholic beverages along with sugar and vinegar. Despite the authorities forming probe committees and imposing temporary punishments on those found guilty, these offenders often return to their illicit activities shortly after, leading to the establishment of a racket. This situation continues even after the recent change in government following mass upsurge. Ahead of the Durga Puja, the syndicate has again become more active than ever as the demand for the liquor increases several times this time, said sources. On September 30, six bottles of foreign liquor were recovered from a toolbox of an electrician in the distillery department of the organization. Although the initial response was to downplay the incident until it became public knowledge. Read: Sugarcane threshing begins at Drashana's Carew & Co sugar mill  Last June, an allegation of missing 13,000 liters of DS spirit from the distillery department surfaced. Additionally, accusations of financial irregularities concerning the permanent hiring of 104 workers emerged in May, leading to legal action against several people, including the former Managing Director Mosharraf Hossain, Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) President Sabuj and General Secretary Masud respectively. The Carew & Co. (Bangladesh) Ltd is the only profitable state-owned sugar mill in the region, yet its alcohol production has become a significant source of profit. While law enforcement has made arrests related to the theft of alcohol, the company’s management appears largely indifferent to the issue. Recent police operations have intercepted several shipments of locally made and imported alcohol, leading to multiple arrests of Carew employees. Allegations suggest that labour unions have been complicit in enabling this syndicate, and some local politicians have provided protection for these operations, further entrenching the issue. Preferring anonymity, a worker of the organisation said thefts during the transportation of local liquor to various depots have been common, with drivers and workers sometimes colluding to facilitate these activities. Read more: Selling alcohol, Carew and Company earned a record Tk232.96 crore in 6 months Some workers wishing not to be named claimed that employees in the distillery department collaborate with labour union leaders to execute these thefts, which have reportedly increased during the current administration.  

The sprouting teen gangs have emerged as a major concern in the capital and other cities and towns of the country, and Feni town is no exception. These misguided teens involved in theft, hijacking, drug abuse, stalking, sexual harassment, and murder, allegedly with the backing of local political leaders and public representatives, are now a new threat to society. Locals allege that local political leaders patronize the teens to establish dominance, grab properties, and threaten opposition political activists. 2 killed in road crash in Gaibandha  ‘Koshai’, ‘Himil’, ‘Shano’, ‘JK’, 'Pintu', and ‘Chakma Javed’ are among the 10 gangs of the district infamous for their crimes that have been extended even to the unions from the district town. Talking to UNB, some guardians expressed their worries over the dreadful offenses committed by the teen gangs and the future of their children, as the deteriorating social environment due to the gang activities has made it difficult for them to keep their children aloof from their influence. On Thursday, police arrested three ‘SDK’ group members, including their leader, for their involvement in various crimes, including the trade and buse of drugs, snatching, extortion, stalking, threatening people for extortion, showing arms, and clashing with rival groups. Preferring anonymity, a SDK group member said,” If the ‘leaders’ need them, they inform the ‘big brother’ who completes the operations involving teen gang members, and they get money in exchange.” A police official who preferred not to be named said if the teen gang members are arrested, they get phone calls from ‘big brothers’ or ‘leaders’ seeking their release. School teacher beaten and harassed by police in Natore

Gold and diamonds worth Tk 46 lakh were stolen from a gold shop on early Monday. Seven to eight youths, aged between 20 and 30, broke into the shop "Shorno Bhubon" between 5:30 am and 6 am on Monday and looted 40 tolas of gold and diamonds worth Tk 5 lakh. Read : Youth beaten dead on suspicion of theft in Kushtia Badal, one of the staff members of a nearby grocery shop, found the locks of the gold shop broken at 7 am and immediately informed Manik Lal Mazumder, owner of the gold shop, and his family about the incident. The shop is located next to Hasan Ali Government High School on the Cumilla Road of Chandpur district. The CCTV footage showed that it took only seven to eight  minutes for the robbers to steal the jewelries. Read : DB nabs motorcycle theft gang Sanjay Saha, an artisan at the gold shop,said he closed the shop and locked it in front of the shop owner at 10 pm the previous day, like he always does. Sheikh Mohsin Alam, officer-in-charge of Sadar Model Police Station, and his team came after he came to know about the theft. CID and PBI officials went to the shop  to investigate about the incident. The shop owner told UNB that he has been in business in this area for almost two years. He suffered a loss of Tk46 lakh in the theft. Read : 2 physicians, 2 others sued over newborn theft from hospital in Rajshahi  He said the thieves took no money. Their target was only gold and diamonds. The OC said an investigation is underway. The shop owner is yet to file a case.

A case has been filed under the Human Trafficking Act against four people, including two physicians, on charge of stealing newborns in Rajshahi.  Syeda Tamanna Akhtar, a resident of Talaimari area in the city, lodged the case at Rajpara Police Station on Sunday.  Sub-Inspector Kajal Nandi from Rajpara Police Station said the accused in the case include Dr. Nishat Anam Barna from the Gynecology Department of Rajshahi Royal Hospital and Dr. Ali Chowdhury Rimon from the Anesthesia Department of the same hospital.  Police are currently conducting an investigation into the matter, he said.  According to the case statement, Syeda Tamanna visited Royal Hospital in Lakshmipur area of the city last Thursday with labor pains.  Based on the doctor's advice, she was admitted to the hospital around 2 pm and taken to the Operation Theater (OT) around 3 pm. After spending an hour in the OT, she was discharged.  The doctors informed them that there was no baby in her womb after the operation.  The patient and her family members said that she was expecting twins.  They claimed that after being taken to the OT and receiving anesthesia, she gave birth, but the hospital staff allegedly stole her baby. Tamanna said the ultrasound report confirmed that she was carrying a boy and a girl.  “If it was stillborn, they should have at least given it to me. Why did I carry a baby for 9 months and 12 days if my baby isn't here?” she said.  Dr. Ali Chowdhury Rimon said that the patient's condition was critical. He heard from her brother that she was carrying twins, and even the patient believed she had a baby in her womb. Therefore, he administered an anaesthetic injection.  Dr. Nishat Anam Barna claimed that a woman arrived at the hospital showing all the signs of pregnancy. Before an examination could take place, she went into labor.  “The patient's relatives failed to provide any documents or seek advice,” she said.   

On suspicion of theft of Tk10 lakh, two construction workers were beaten to death at an under-construction building in the Rajshahi city's Safura BSCIC area Thursday night, police said. The law enforcers detained four people over the incident. They also recovered videos from the accused which show them beating the workers up. Rezaul Karim, 45, from Naogaon's Manda and Rakibul Islam, 35, from Chapainawabganj's Shibganj were tied to a pole and beaten up from noon to 8pm at night. Mazharul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Boalia Police Station, said Rezaul and Rakibul had been working at the building of Modern Food Factory owner Mohammad Abdullah in front of Bishal Biscuit Factory for the past few days.   Read more: Man beaten to death over ‘theft charge’ in Gaibandha On suspicion of theft of Tk10 lakh from the food factory owner's home yesterday, Abdullah, his brother-in-law Moin Uddin Real, father-in-law Masum Reza and factory Manager Imran tied up the workers and beat them up with iron rods and sticks to extract a confession. On information, police rushed to the spot and rescued the workers, both in critical condition.They were taken to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) where Rezaul was declared dead at 8:30pm, the OC said. "Rakibul succumbed to his injuries around 9.30pm while undergoing treatment." The bodies were kept at the RMCH morgue for autopsies and will be handed over to the families after the completion of legal procedures, he said. So far, no case has been lodged at the police station over the incident, he added.  

A sixth-grader was tortured with a hammer on charge of theft in Shalikha upazila of the district on Friday afternoon. The victim—Sajeeb Mollah, 12, is son of farmer Kohinur Mollah of Sandra village under the upazila and a class six student of a local high school. Bisharul Islam, officer-in-charge of Shalikha police station, said some goods were stolen from the grocery shop of one Hasan Ali two to three days back in the village. The shop owner allegedly picked up the boy from a road to his shop on Friday afternoon and interrogated about the theft and subsequently tortured with a hammer mercilessly, he said. Read more: 2 boys tied to pole and tortured by cops in Ctg Being informed by the victim’s father Md Mollah, a team of police rushed the spot and rescued him and detained the accused, the OC said. The victim is undergoing treatment at the upazila health complex. Mollah lodged a complaint against the shop owner in this connection on Friday night, he said adding the detainee will be produced at a court in the afternoon.

Coast Guard members seized 3,800 litres of stolen diesel from a Launch Ghat area of Matlab Uttar Upazila of Chandpur on Friday. Acting on a tip-off, a team of coastguard conducted a drive at Mohanpur’s  Dasani Launch Ghat area and seized the diesel stolen from two abandoned houses, Lieutenant Commander Khandaker Munif Taqi, media officer of Bangladesh Coast Guard Headquarters, said. The estimated market value of the seized diesel is Tk 4,33,200, added the officer. However, no one could be arrested in this connection. Read: 3 held over stealing oil from standing train in Feni   The Coast Guard subsequently handed it over to Mohanpur Police Station.

Detectives have arrested three people in connection with the theft at two jewellery  shops in the capital's Karnafuli Garden City market. The arrestees are Shahid Matabbar alias Shaheen, Shaishab Roy alias Sumon and Uttam Kumar Sur. Read: Case against seven cops in Cumilla for looting cash and jewellery Briefing reporters at the DMP media centre on Tuesday, Additional Commissioner (DB) of the DMP AKM Hafiz Akhtar said that a gang of thieves stole a huge quantity of gold ornaments from two shops-- “Mohana Jewelers” and “Best and Best Creation Jewel Avenue Jewelers” in the early morning on December 16.  A case was filed at Ramna Model Police Station in this regard and then detectives (Ramna Division) started investigation into the incident alongside the local police station, he added. AKM Hafiz said Shaheen was arrested from Nagarkanda police station area of Faridpur district on Sunday after examining a CCTV footage. Read:Police: Housemaid held with stolen gold jewellery, money According to his statement, the Detectives of DB (Ramna Division) conducted simultaneous drives and arrested Sumon and Uttam from Shakhari Bazar of Barisal District and Kotwali Police Station area in the capital on Monday. During primary interrogation, they confessed to their involvement in the theft incident, he added.

A mob lynched a woman and injured another on suspicion that they were snatchers, police said on Monday. The mob attack on the women occurred on Sunday at Boro Balmantachar in Nawabganj upazila in Dhaka, according to police. The dead had been identified as Runa Akter, 45, wife of Purok Mia of Nasirbag in Brahmanbaria district. The second woman identified as Popy, 20 was undergoing treatment at the upazila health complex. Also read: Mob beats man to death suspecting him of being a thief  The two women snatched a gold chain from Zahura Begum, a resident of Boro Balmantarchar village, as she was waiting in a queue for taking Covid jabs at a local centre on Sunday afternoon, said Sirajul Islam Sheikh, officer-in-charge of Nawabganj Police Station,  Zahura’s husband Hazrat Ali caught the two women with the help of local people. The two females were taken to the house of Zuhra, where they were mercilessly beaten, also joined by local people. Also read: 2 ‘robbers’ killed in Habiganj lynch-mob attack Runa was declared dead by doctors after the badly mauled women were taken to a local hospital.  Her body was sent to Mitford hospital on Monday for post-mortem. Police arrested Zuhra while her husband Hazrat Ali escaped. The OC said legal action will be taken against those involved in the mob-beating.

Two men were arrested from Gaibandha’s Sundarganj upazila on Sunday night for tying a schoolboy to a tree and torturing him on charges of theft at Dhumaitari village.