United News of Bangladesh

Police detained a man with 13.9kg of cannabis in Nachol upazila of Chapainawabganj on Sunday night. The detainee was identified as Nazrul Islam, 56, son of Ainal Haque of Tarapur area in Shibganj upazila. Acting on a tip-off, a team from Nachol Police Station raided the Surjapur Mor area around 10 pm, said Chapainawabganj Superintendent of Police (SP) Gautam Kumar Biswas. During the operation, police detained Nazrul with 13.9kg of cannabis, while two of his alleged accomplices managed to flee, the SP said. Further legal action will be taken in connection with the incident, he added.

A mobile court has fined a trader Tk 10,000 for allegedly storing 15 barrels of diesel at a warehouse without a licence in Nachol upazila of Chapainawabganj. The court also seized the diesel, worth around Tk 3.59 lakh. Sabbir Ahmed, assistant commissioner and executive magistrate of the district administration, led the mobile court operation conducted at Bherendi Bazar in the upazila from 9:00pm to 11:00pm on Thursday. The assistant commissioner said Humayun Chowdhury, proprietor of Chowdhury Trading, was fined Tk 10,000 for violating Section 4 of the Bangladesh Petroleum Act, 2016. During the raid, 15 barrels of diesel were seized from Humayun’s shop and warehouse, he said. Later, in the presence of the executive magistrate, the seized diesel was sold to the nearby Dhansura Filling Station and the proceeds were ordered to be deposited in the government treasury.

Five children, including two pairs of siblings, drowned while taking a bath in the Pagla River in the Char Chakla area of Chapainawabganj Sadar upazila on Friday afternoon. The deceased were identified as Sumaiya, 10, and Arifa, 8, daughters of Masud Ali; Suraiya, 9, and Sumaiya, 11, daughters of Nezam Uddin; and Sharifa, 11, daughter of Shariful Islam. All of them were residents of Char Chakla. Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Sadar Model Police Station Ekramul Hossain said several children went to the river around 1:00pm to bathe. At one point, five of them drowned. Local people later searched the river and recovered the bodies of all five children one by one. Police were sent to the spot after being informed of the incident, he added.

A trolley driver was killed after his vehicle was hit by a train while crossing rail track in Nachol upazila of Chapainawabganj on Thursday morning. The deceased was identified as Abul Kalam Azad, 35, son of Mohibur Rahman of Bandra village in the upazila. According to police and locals, Azad was returning home from Deopara with a consignment of goats on his trolley. The Khulna-bound Mahananda Express struck the trolley at the Deopara level crossing near Nachol Railway Station around 6:20am, leaving him dead on the spot, said Officer-in-Charge of Nachol Police Station Sukomal Chandra Debnath. He said the Railway Police was carrying out the required legal procedures.

Five people including three women were killed in lightning strikes in three upazilas of Chapainawabganj district on Thursday afternoon. They died during rainfall when lightning struck different areas of Sadar, Shibganj and Nachol upazilas. The deceased were identified as Abdullah, son of Md Rabbil of Atahar area in Jhelim union of Sadar upazila; Mahmuda Akhter, wife of Abdur Rab of Chakanrendra village in Chakkirti union of Shibganj upazila; Sadia Khatun, daughter of Abul Kashem of Ranibari-Bazarpara; Md Mesbaul, son of Fitu Ali of Shikarpur Dakshinpara in Mobarakpur union; and Sumiyara Begum of Lahabari village in Nachol upazila. Of them, three died in Shibganj upazila. Matiur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Shibganj Police Station, said the three victims from Shibganj were struck by lightning while picking mangoes in orchards near their homes during rain. Shibganj Upazila Project Implementation Officer Mizanur Rahman said the families of the victims were given Tk 25,000 each as immediate financial assistance. Chapainawabganj Sadar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Ekramul Hossain said lightning hit Abdullah while he was  going to the field in the rain to bring cattle. He was taken to Chapainawabganj District Hospital where doctors declared him dead. In Nachol upazila, Sumiyara Begum died by lightning strike while returning home after collecting grass from a field, said Nachol Police Station Officer-in-Charge Sukomal Chandra Debnath. Authorities said financial assistance of Tk 25,000 each will also be provided to the families of the victims in Sadar and Nachol upazilas.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has seized four Indian cattle in an anti-smuggling operation at Chapainawabganj border after recovering them from the Matpara area of Narayanpur Union under Sadar upazila during a late-night drive on Monday. Lt Col Kazi Mostafizur Rahman, commanding officer of the 53 BGB Battalion, confirmed the matter on Tuesday morning and said, acting on a tip-off, a patrol team from Jahurpurtek BOP conducted a raid in the border area around 12:45 am on Monday. During the operation, the four Indian cattle were found abandoned. The estimated market value of the seized cattle is around Tk 3 lakh, according to BGB. Later, the cattle were handed over to the Chapainawabganj customs office. However, no one was arrested in connection with the incident. BGB said its operations against smuggling in the border area will continue.

Nineteen children showing symptoms consistent with measles were admitted to the Chapainawabganj district hospital over a 24-hour period from 12:00am on Tuesday to 12:00am on Wednesday. Hospital sources said children with fever, rash, and cold-like symptoms continue to arrive every day, putting pressure on the 250-bed district hospital. Authorities have already opened an isolation corner to manage the situation, but overcrowding has forced some children to receive treatment on the floor due to a shortage of beds. During the 24-hour period, 44 children recovered and were discharged, while three serious cases were referred to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment. At present, 75 children remain admitted at the hospital with similar symptoms. Since January this year, a total of 721 children have received treatment at the hospital with measles-like symptoms, and four deaths have been reported during this period. Resident Medical Officer Dr Abdus Samad of the hospital said not all cases have been confirmed as measles. In many cases, heat-related rashes along with fever and cold symptoms are being mistaken for measles, causing panic among guardians. He advised that hospital admission is not necessary for every suspected case, urging parents to seek doctor advice and manage mild cases at home if possible, given the ongoing bed shortage.

Police recovered the body of a man from a mango orchard in Shibganj upazila of Chapainawabganj on Saturday afternoon. The deceased was identified as Shihab Ali, 28, son of Rafiqul Islam of Sorjon village under Gobratala union in Chapainawabganj Sadar Upazila. Relatives said Shihab left home on Friday night and did not return. Locals found the body on Saturday afternoon and informed police. Two charred bodies recovered in Gazipur Police said the body had multiple injury marks and initially suspected it to be a murder. Empty ampoules and syringes of narcotic injections were seized from the scene, and authorities are investigating whether he was drug-addicted. SM Shakil Hasan, Inspector of Shibganj Police Station, said the body was sent to Chapainawabganj District Hospital morgue for autopsy. Legal action will be taken in this regard, he added.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members recovered 6.27 kilograms of gunpowder and bomb-making materials in Shibganj upazila of Chapainawabganj district on Sunday night. According to a press release sent by RAB-5 on Monday morning, those were seized from a mustard field in Parghorapakhia area. No one was arrested in this connection, it said. RAB recovers five looted grenades from Dhaka’s Demra RAB said tipped off, a team conducted a drive around 10 pm on Sunday in the area and found 6.27 kilograms of gunpowder, 1.7 kilograms of small stones, 1.4 kilograms of glass powder, 385 grams of iron nails, 12 red-colored costepes, 31 plastic jars, and 29 gas lighters abandoned in three polythene packets. The seized explosives and materials were handed over to Shibganj Police Station for investigation.

For generations, Amnura railway junction has connected people, markets and livelihoods across Chapainawabganj and now this station stands worn and overlooked. Established in 1909 as part of the Abdulpur–Malda railway line, the once-busy junction has gradually lost its significance. The passenger shed at the station was declared abandoned around one and a half decades ago. Since then, travelers have been forced to wait for trains under the open sky, exposed to scorching heat, rain and cold. Jujube cultivation brings new prosperity to Cumilla’s Shikarpur village The station area lacks even the most basic facilities, including safe drinking water, toilets and proper seating arrangements.