A joyride turned tragic for a 35-year-old woman and her brother in the city’s Shahbag area Saturday as their bike crashed into a traffic island, killing the woman on the spot. The deceased was identified as Urmi Jahan Nishi, wife of Lalon Ahmed, originally from Cumilla’s Laksam. Her brother, Mostafa, also sustained injuries in the accident. According to the deceased’s elder brother Bappi, Mostafa lost control of the speeding bike and hit the traffic island in front of Hotel Intercontinental.  READ: 543 killed in 427 road accidents in April, says Road Safety report Urmi fell off the bike and sustained serious head injuries. She was taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), where doctors declared her dead at 1.50am. In-charge of DMCH police outpost, Md Bachchu Mia, said that the body has been kept at the hospital morgue. "The deceased lived in the Bauniarbad area of Mirpur-11 in the city," he added.

Three friends were killed when a speeding truck rammed into the motorcycle they riding after admission into school at Birganj  upazila in Dinajpur on Sunday, a fire service official said. The deceased were identified as Sahadat, 15, son of Afsar Ali, Shahriar Shuvo, 15, son of Jahangir Hossain, and Muzahid Hossain, 14, son of Sukkur Ali. All the deceased were from Makrai village of Birganj upazila. Read:Expatriate, 2 others killed in Barishal road crash The three were out on joyride after completing admission process into their respective classes at Kabi Nazrul High School in Birganj. The accident occurred on Dinajpur-Panchagarh road. Sahadat and Shuvo died on the spot. Muzahid was rushed to Birganj Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared him dead, confirmed Meraz Ali, an officer of Fire Service and Civil Defence in Birganj. Read:2 killed in Sunamganj road crash In a separate accident also on Sunday vegetable trader Md Rajib Uddin, of Uttar Katla village in Birampur, was killed when his vehicle overturned after being hit by an army vehicle at Doel intersection in Birampur, confirmed Sumon Kumar Mohonto, officer-in-charge of Birampur Police Station.

Out on a joyride with a male acquaintance, a 21-year-old woman was allegedly held hostage and raped by six men on a moving bus in Mirsarai upazila of Chattogram. All the six men, including the bus driver and helper, have been arrested from different parts of the district, police said on Saturday. The crime occurred in the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday morning, said officer-in-charge of Mirsarai Police Station, Mujibul Rahman. READ: Rajshahi child rape & murder case accused shot dead In her complaint to the police, the woman claimed that her male acquaintance took her out on Wednesday evening. The duo had boarded the bus from their native Sitakunda upazila. However, when the bus reached the Hafiz Jute Mill area, the driver and the helper forced all passengers to get down. But they didn't let the woman and her acquaintance to get off. Subsequently, the duo, along with the four others, took turns to rape her. The woman's ordeal didn't end there. She was forcibly taken to a house in the upazila and raped over the next 24 hours, according to the complaint. On her complaint, police lodged a case and arrested the six men from different parts of Sitakunda and Mirsarai upazilas, and Chattogram city on Friday night. The arrestees have been identified as Ashraful Islam, 23, Shahadat Hossain, 19, Nizamuddin Rana, 20, Belal Hossain, 23, Mohammad Ismail, 31, of Sitakunda upazila and Mohammad Sagar Hossain, 22, of Mirsarai upazila. The woman, a garment factory worker, was sent to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital for a medical examination. SM Rashidul Haque, superintendent of District Police, said, “We have taken the case seriously and six people were arrested in this connection." Bangladesh's rape epidemic Sexual assaults on women continue unabated in Bangladesh, despite the government introducing death penalty for rapes last year. A police headquarters report, released recently, said that 26,695 rape cases were filed across the country in the past five years. Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) data shows that 1,018 children were raped last year alone, but only 683 police cases had been filed. Also, 116 survivors were six years old or below. Overall, 1,627 rape cases were reported last year and 53 of the women were killed by the perpetrators while 14 took their own lives, as per the data. However, ASK's data is just the tip of the iceberg, according to aid agencies, who report that most women are too afraid to report rape. READ: Nasir, Omi put on 5-day remand over ‘rape attempt’ on Pori Moni In October 2020, the country was rocked by protests after a woman was allegedly attacked and raped in Noakhali. In November last year, Bangladesh introduced capital punishment for rape, following days of protests against sexual violence against women in several cities across the country. But human rights organisations say the move will not solve the country's rape crisis, as the survivors of the heinous crime are often stigmatised in the society.