Khelafat Majlish Secretary General Maulana Mamunul Haque has been acquitted in the rape case related to an incident at Royal Resort in Sonargaon of Narayanganj district. Judge Jasmine Ara Begum of the Narayanganj District Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal delivered the verdict on Thursday in Mamunul Haque’s presence in the courtroom. Defence lawyer Advocate AKM Omar Faruq Nayan said that Maulana Haque was found not guilty of the charges brought against him in connection with the case. This case stems from an incident that took place at the Royal Resort in April 2021. After the trial, the court ruled in favour of the accused. On April 3 in 2021, local Jubo and Chhatra league activists confined the Hefazat leader along with a woman to Royal Resort. Mamunul then claimed the woman to be his second wife. On information, Hefazat fellows and madrasah students rushed to the spot and snatched him from the resort after carrying out an attack. On April 18, a team of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested him from a madrasah in Mohammadpur area.   On April 30, the woman, who was said to be Mamunul’s wife, filed a case under Women and Children Repression and Prevention Act with Sonargaon police station in Narayanganj. On September 10, the investigation officer of the case submitted a chargesheet to the court against Mamunul. On November 3, the court framed charges against him. Twenty-six, out of 40 witnesses, including the woman, gave testimonies against the Khelafat Majlish leader.

The Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division on Sunday stayed the High Court order that had granted bail to Golam Kibria Boro Monir, vice-president of Tangail district unit Awami League and his wife Nigar Aftab in a rape case. Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division Justice M Enayetur Rahim passed the order. It also asked Kibria, also the general secretary of District Bus Minibus Owners Association, to surrender before the lower court within two weeks. Advocate Yusuf Hossain Humayun stood for the accused while Deputy Attorney General Sarwar Hossain Bappi represented the state. On April 5, a 17-year-old girl lodged a complaint against Kibria for violating her with Sadar Police Station. According to the case statement, Kibria had a conflict with the brother of the girl over the ownership of a portion of property. On December 17, Kibria asked the girl to meet him at a building at Court area in the district and tried to make physical relations with the girl. As the girl refused to do so, he snatched away the mobile phone of the girl and violated her after confining in a room. Also read: High Court questions hike in price of performing hajj Kibria also threatened to kill her if she disclosed the matter to anyone, said the statement. When the girl got pregnant, Kibria put pressure on her for abortion. Being refused, the girl was abducted to the house of Kibria’s in-laws on March 29 where Kibria’s wife beat her up physically. She was again violated there. When the girl fell sick they brought the girl to her house at the dead of night. The girl also made her statement under section 22 before the court.  

A court in Tangail issued warrant for arresting former Basail Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) in a rape case filed last year. Judge Monira Sultana issued the warrant against former UNO Md Manjur Hossain after the allegations brought against him were proved primarily through an investigation. According to the court, the accused Manjur, who is serving as OSD at the public administration ministry, created a relationship with a college girl through social media Facebook in 2021 when he was the UNO. He allegedly raped the girl on the pretext of marriage and used to live in a rented house identifying themselves as couple. Read more: Arrest warrants issued against Jamaat chief, 11 others in sabotage case Manjur severed communication with the girl when she put pressure on him to marry. The victim filed a case against him at the court on June 21 last year. Later, the court asked the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to investigate the incident. The PBI submitted their investigation report on December 29 last year while the court on Monday issued the warrant under section 493 of the Penal Code. 

A Sherpur court on Sunday sentenced a 25-year-old man to life imprisonment in absentia, in a case filed over raping a teenager. Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman passed the order in absence of the accused. Accused Abul Hossain, son of Abdul Jabbar from Juginibag village in the Sadar upazila, has remained absconding since the case was filed, said advocate Golam Kibria, Public Prosecutor of the court. The court has fined the accused Tk 20,000 and directed an additional six months in jail if unable to pay. Also read: Man who incited 2019 Borhanuddin riots sentenced to 8 years in jail He was also sentenced to 14 years in jail with Tk 10,000 fine and additional three months in jail if unable to pay on a separate charge of kidnapping, said the PP. The sentences will be served concurrently - if he is ever caught, that is. On September 21, 2017, Abul Hossain with his associates kidnapped an 8th-grader while she was on her way to a madrasah, according to the case statement. On October 2, the victim's mother filed a case with the tribunal against Abul Hossain, his brother Anwar Hossain and father Abdul Jabbar after police rescued the girl. On December 15, the investigation officer in the case submitted chargesheet against the three accused. Also read: 2 sentenced to death for killing schoolboy in Shariatpur On December 9, 2020, the court framed charges against Abul Hossain but acquitted the two others. The court has recorded statements of five witnesses during the trial of this case.

The High Court on Tuesday commuted the death sentence of four convicts to life imprisonment in a case over violating a 20-year-old garment worker in Palash upazila of Narsingdi district in 2013. The HC bench of Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman handed down the judgment after hearing a petition. Also read: Schoolgirl gang raped in Rajshahi; 2 held The convicts are—Ashiqur Rahman, Ilias Mia, Rumin and Robin of Bagpara area in Palash upazila of Narsingdi district. The court also acquitted —Ibrahim and Abdur Rahman- from the charges. Advocates Munsurul Haque Chowdhury, Lutfur Rahman Akond and Akter Rasul stood for the accused while deputy attorney general Harun Rashid and Attorney General Zahid Ahmed Hero represented the state. On May 23, 2013,   the convicts picked up the woman and took her to an abandoned place while she was returning home and violated her in turns on May 23, 2013. Later, a complaint was lodged with Palash Police. Also read: Khulna police make 6 arrests after indigenous woman gangraped at home Police registered an FIR in this connection. On August 25, 2016, Narsingdi Women and Children  Repression Prevention  Tribunal Judge Shamim Ahmed sentenced six people to death in the case. Later, the convicts filed a petition with the High Court challenging the lower court order.

Police arrested three persons, including a woman, in connection with the rape of a student in Faridganj upazila of Chandpur on Sunday. Arrestees Ejaz Hossain, 23, Sabbir Hossain, 26, and Lipi Begum, 32, were sent to jail via court on Monday, said Md Shaheed Hossain, officer-in-charge of Faridganj Police Station. The main accused in the case, Shimul Miji, said to be a Juba League leader, however remains free.  The police are said to be trying to arrest him. READ: 2 killed in Chandpur road crash It was learned from the case statement that Ejaz, Sabbir and Shimul intercepted the victim, a 16-year-old 10th-grader,  on her way home from school on Sunday, before all three violated her at Lipi Begum's address.  The victim was told not to tell anyone - otherwise they threatened to leak videos of the incident. The victim’s  mother filed a rape case at Faridganj Police Station on Sunday evening.

A five-year-old girl has been allegedly raped by her cousin at Jahanpur union of Bhola's Char Fasson Upazila. Police said Shamim, 18, a Madrasa student, raped the girl when he found her alone in the house as her grandmother went to the next room on Thursday morning. Shamim fled the scene when the girl started screaming. Read: Raped by two, eighth grader ends life in Joypurhat Later, the child was admitted to Char Fashion Hospital in critical condition. Mizanur Rahman, Officer-in-charge of Char Fashion Shashibhushan Police Station, said a case has been filed against Shamim. However, the accused has not been arrested yet. Efforts are underway to arrest the accused, the OC added.

A Dhaka court on Tuesday fixed October 27 for delivering its judgment in a case over the rape of two girls in a hotel in the capital’s Banani area in 2017. Acting Judge of Dhaka Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-7 Abdullah Al Mamun fixed the date. Earlier on October 3, a Dhaka court set October 12 to deliver its verdict in the case.  Dhaka Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-7 Judge Begum Kamrunnahar was scheduled to hear the case today  but the court deferred the verdict as she was on leave due to sickness . Read: Banani double rape: 5 accused sent to jail, verdict on October 12 On June 7, 2017, investigation officer of the case Inspector Ismot Ara submitted a charge sheet to the court against five accused. On June 19, the tribunal accepted the charge sheet. Rape charges were pressed against accused Safat Ahmed, son of Apan Jewellers co-owner Dildar Ahmed Selim, and Nayeem Ashraf while charges for assisting in rape pressed against Safat’s friend Sadman Sakif, Shafat's driver Billal Hossain and bodyguard Rahmat Ali. On May 6, 2017, one of the two abused girls filed the case with Banani Police Station against five persons including Shafat and Shadman Sakif. According to the case statement, Safat and Nayeem raped the plaintiff and her friend on March 28 at The Raintree Dhaka in the capital's Banani area while the three others assisted them. Read: Banani double rape case: Court cancels Shafat’s bail The victims were acquainted with Safat through Sadman two weeks before the incident and they were tricked in attending a grand program at the hotel on that day, said the statement.

A rape and murder case was filed on Monday against Bashundhara Group Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir and seven others over the death of college student Mosarat Jahan Munia in her Gulshan apartment in April this year. The seven other accused are: Bashundhara Group's Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan Shah Alam, Shah Alam's wife Afroza Begum; Anvir's wife Sabrina Sayem; Faria Mahbub Piyasha; Saifa Rahman Mim; landlord of the flat where the victim was staying, Ibrahim Ahmed Ripon and his wife Sharmim Akhter. Munia's sister Nusrat Jahan Tania filed the case with Dhaka's 8th Tribunal for Prevention of Women and Children's Repression. Read: Munia's death: Court accepts IO's final report clearing Bashundhara Group MD Judge Mafroza Parvin recorded the statement of the complainant. After the hearing, the judge directed the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to submit a report on it within seven working days. Earlier on August 19, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Rajesh Chowdhury relieved Anvir of the charge of incitement to suicide of the college student. On July 19, the investigating officer of the case, Gulshan Police Station officer-in-charge Abul Hasan, submitted a final report to the court giving a clean chit to Anvir. Anvir was not found culpable in the suicide incitement case of Munia in the final report submitted by the investigating officer and asked for his name to be dropped.  Read: Munia’s sister files no-confidence petition against final investigation report On April 26, police recovered the hanging body of Munia from the flat in Gulshan in the night. Munia's elder sister Nusrat Jahan Tania filed a case against Anvir that night accusing him of incitement to suicide. According to Tania, her sister Munia was in a relationship with Anvir who regularly visited her at the Gulshan apartment.  

A Dhaka court on Tuesday sent a sub-inspector of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station to jail over a rape case filed with the Gulshan police station. The accused sub-inspector is Khayerul Islam. According to police sources, the rape victim went to Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station with a complaint a month ago but instead of filing it the sub-inspector said he will take care of the matter personally. Read: 'Only mindset change can eradicate rape culture in Bangladesh' Though the issue of that victim was solved Khayerul continued contacting her from different numbers. After she changed her phone number, Khayerul again called her in the new number, abducted her to a Gulshan apartment and raped her there, said the victim in her complaint. Read: Woman kidnapped from Dhaka kitchen market, raped by 3 Officer-in-Charge of the Gulshan police station Abul Hasan told UNB Khayerul Islam was arrested Tuesday morning followed by a case filed by the victim and was produced before the court.