United News of Bangladesh

Police have detained eight people in connection with the looting of Tk 1.72 crore from a depot office of Abul Khair Tobacco Company in Bandarban. Moreover, Tk 52.57 lakh of the looted amount has been recovered from the detainees. Superintendent of Bandarban police Mohammad Shahidullah Kawsar disclosed this at a press briefing at his office on Friday morning.  Woman killed, 23 hurt as jeep falls into hill stream in Bandarban On May 9, a group of 15 to 20 muggers looted the amount from the officials of the depot at the gunpoint in Lama upazila, he said. Later, the authorities filed a case in this connection, the police official said, adding that they initially detained two suspects. Based on their information, the police detained six more accused, he said. Taking the detainees, police conducted drives in four locations of the Lama and nearby Chakaria upazila of Cox’s Bazar and recovered Tk 52.57 lakh, said the SP. During the preliminary interrogation, the detainees admitted that they were members of an inter-district robbery gang and their mastermind Abdul Karim had been freed from jail on bail around seven days before the mugging. During the drive, various weapons, including three local guns and six rounds of bullets, were seized, he said.  Bangladeshi man’s leg severed in landmine blast near border in Bandarban Legal action will be taken against the detainees accordingly, he added.  

Police have arrested 49 people in connection with the acts of vandalism and looting that took place during anti-Israel protests in several cities of the country on Monday.These unlawful actions are seen as a direct threat to public safety and the rule of law, according to a statement posted on the Chief Adviser’s verified Facebook account on Tuesday. 4 arrested over vandalism of Bata showroom, hotel in GazipurAlready two cases related to the vandalism were filed by the police and further investigations are underway.Additional charges were expected as law enforcement works to identify more people involved in the vandalism, it said.In a concerted effort to bring those responsible to justice, the police conducted raids last night targeting the perpetrators. IGP warns against vandalism, orders arrestAuthorities were also reviewing video footage from the protests to help identify additional suspects.The operations would continue until all those responsible for the violence and destruction were arrested, the post also said. KFC outlet, Bata showroom vandalised in Sylhet“We urge anyone with information that may assist in the investigation to come forward. Together, we can ensure that those who seek to undermine the peace and stability of our society are held accountable,” the statement added.

Protestors vandalised and looted a warehouse on ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ancestral property in Dighalia upazila of Khulna, said locals on Friday morning. Witnesses said the mayhem began at 10:30pm on Thursday in the Nagarghat area with various anti-Awami League slogans. It was learned that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman purchased one acre and 44 decimals of land in Nagarghat near the Bhairab River, in his wife Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib’s name during the Pakistani period. Fire at Sheikh Selim’s Banani residence A jute warehouse and a single-room semi-building house were built on the land which later was named as ‘Sheikh Hasina’s Godown.’ Sheikh Hasina herself hadn’t known about the property until 2007 when she learned about it through her personal lawyer. During Sheikh Mujib’s lifetime, the jute warehouse was managed by his younger brother, Sheikh Abu Naser.

A court on Sunday placed suspended Feni  Police Station OC Saiful Islam, a member of the district Detective Branch, on another 4-day remand, in a case over snatching 20 gold bars from a businessman on Dhaka-Chattogram Highway on August 8.Feni Senior Judicial Magistrate Kamrul Hasan passed the order after the investigation officer of the case produced the accused before court and prayed for a 7-day remand.The same court Saturday placed five other Detective Branch officials involved in the incident - sub-inspectors Motaher Hossain, Mizanur Rahman, Nurul Haque and assistant sub-inspectors Abhijit Barua and Masud Rana -  on a second spell of 3-day remand. Also read: Snatching gold bars: 5 Feni DB officials remanded again They were initially remanded for three days on August 11, said Golam Jilani, a police inspector posted at Feni court.Meanwhile, the case was handed over to the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) Sunday.Feni district police Superintendent Khondokar Nurunnabi handed the case over to PBI Superintendent Md Asaduzzaman.PBI Inspector Shah Alam, investigation officer of the Nusrat murder case, has been given the responsibility to investigate the case now.Six members of the DB of Feni police were arrested Tuesday night for allegedly robbing a businessman of 20 gold bars worth Tk 1.24 crore.The same day the six accused were temporarily suspended by the district police authority. Also read: Six detectives rob bizman of 20 gold bars in Feni, heldAccording to police sources, some 15 of the 20 looted gold bars have been recovered from the possession of the accused, and the remaining 5 gold bars were not recovered yet.As per the complaint of Gopal Kanti Das, the six detectives intercepted Gopal's car on the road under Fatehpur flyover on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway, looted the gold bars and left the spot on August 8.A robbery case was  filed against the six at the Feni model police station.

South Africa’s rioting continued Tuesday with the death toll rising to 32 as police and the military struggle to quell the looting and violence in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. Many of the deaths occurred in chaotic stampedes as scores of people looted food, electric appliances, liquor, and clothing from retail centers, KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikalala told the press on Tuesday morning. “Yesterday’s events brought a lot of sadness. The number of people who have died in KwaZulu-Natal alone stands at 26. Many of them died from being trampled on during a stampede while people were looting items,” said Zikalala. Also read: Former South African president Zuma to face corruption trial In Gauteng, South Africa’s most populous province which includes the largest city, Johannesburg, six people have died, said officials. The deployment of 2,500 soldiers to support the South African police has not yet stopped the rampant looting although arrests are being made at some areas in Johannesburg, including Vosloorus in eastern Johannesburg. Looting continued Tuesday in Johannesburg shopping malls in township areas including Jabulani Mall and Dobsonville Mall in Soweto. There were also reports of continued looting in centers in KwaZulu-Natal. Also read: COVID-19 corruption puts 'lives at risk' in South Africa The violence started in KwaZulu-Natal last week as protests against the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma, who began serving a 15-month sentence for contempt of court. He was convicted of defying a court order to testify before a state-backed inquiry probing allegations of corruption during his term as president from 2009 to 2018. The sporadic pro-Zuma violence spiraled into a spree of criminal theft in poor, township areas of the two provinces, according to witnesses. So far the lawlessness has not spread to South Africa’s other nine provinces. The Constitutional Court, the country’s highest court, heard Zuma’s application to have his sentence rescinded on Monday. Zuma’s lawyer presented his arguments that the top court made errors when sentencing Zuma to prison. After 10 hours of testimony on Monday, the court judges said they would study the arguments and announce their decision at a later date.