United News of Bangladesh

A court in Lakshmipur on Monday sent a woman to jail in connection with a case, forcing her to take her infant child with her. Senior Judicial Magistrate Court Shah Jamal passed the order when the woman, Farhana Akter Shilpi, along with another accused, Jahir Uddin, appeared before it, said court official Delwar Hossain. Shilpi’s infant son Siam also accompanied his mother to Lakshmipur District Jail. Jailer Nur Mohammad Sohel confirmed that Shilpi and her young child were taken to the jail in the afternoon. Meanwhile, Shilpi’s two other children — Class-V student Shipon Hossain, 10, and second-grader Tamanna Akter, 8 — were seen standing outside the jail gate in their school uniforms, waiting for their mother. Both are students of Shaheed Smriti Adarsha Academy and are currently sitting for their examinations. The incident drew attention after defence lawyer Mohsin Kabir Swapan shared photos of the children and a video of the incident on Facebook. According to the case statement, Mahtab Uddin Bhuiyan filed the case on April 15, accusing Shilpi and nine others of attacking him in the Shahapur area of Lakshmipur municipality. The complaint alleged that Shilpi struck him on the back of the head with an iron rod, causing a severe injury. However, the medical certificate issued by Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital described the injury as minor.

A businessman was rescued from a hostage situation in Bijoynagar Upazila after police and local residents acted on information received through the national emergency number 999. Police arrested two brothers, Anwar Hossain, 40, and Shahnur Rahman, from the spot, said Rajib Sarker, Officer-in-Charge of Bijoynagar Police Station on Monday. Both are sons of Lavlur Rahman of Alabhidpur village and are currently in police custody. Lavlur Rahman was also named as an accused in the case, though he was later released, the OC added. A written complaint was filed by Gopal Roy, father of the victim Rupak Roy, which was recorded by police on Monday morning. According to police and local sources, the incident occurred on Sunday morning when Rupak Roy, a resident of Saha Para in Alabhidpur village, was going to his business at Amtali Bazar. He was allegedly lured to Anwar Hossain’s house on the pretext of sending money via bKash. Once there, he was tied up, beaten, and forced to sign blank stamp papers. The attackers also attempted to abduct him and demanded Tk 20 lakh from his family. He was allegedly attacked with sharp weapons, leaving him seriously injured. Meanwhile, Rupak’s family received a misleading message from his phone claiming he was in Brahmanbaria and had lost his phone. Later, upon discovering that he was being held hostage, they contacted 999 and informed police. Police, along with locals, rushed to the scene and rescued him. Rupak Roy was later treated at the upazila health complex. His family alleged that the accused continued to issue threats even after being detained. OC Rajib Sarker said legal procedures are underway to send them to court.

Four members of a family including a father and his three sons were burnt allegedly after a refrigerator compressor exploded at a house in Kutubpur Lakibazar area of Fatullah in Narayanganj on Monday morning.   The injured were identified as Abdul Kader ,50, and his three sons Mohammad Mehedi ,17, Sakib ,16, and Rakib,16. Locals said hearing a loud explosion they rushed to the house and found the father and sons severely burnt. 5 of a family burned in Narayanganj gas explosion Locals rescued the injured and took them to the emergency unit of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic. Abdul Kader’s neighbour Md Faruk said Kader works as an auto-rickshaw driver and lives in the area with his family. Resident surgeon of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery Assistant Professor Dr Shaon Bin Rahman said Abdul Kader suffered 57% burns, while his sons Mehedi sustained 18%, Sakib 17% , and Rakib 25%  burns. Abdul Kader’s condition is critical, the doctor added.

A drug-addicted youth allegedly stabbed his mother to death after she refused to give him money for drugs at Dilpur village in Daganbhuiyan Upazila of Feni district on Sunday night. The accused, Mosharraf Hossain Rafi, 21,  also attacked his father and sister, leaving them injured. The deceased was identified as Lucky Begum, 45 and the injured are her husband Mohammad Mostafa, 55, and their daughter Mosammad Mithila Mostafa, 18, residents of Dilpur village. Truck's helper killed as stationary vehicle hit by another truck in Feni Witnesses and police said Rafi returned home on Sunday night and demanded money from his mother to buy drugs. When she refused, he attacked her with a sharp weapon, leaving her critically injured. As his sister Mithila and father Mostafa tried to save her, Rafi stabbed them as well. The injured were taken to Feni 250-bed General Hospital, where doctors declared Lucky Begum dead. Mostafa, a Saudi expatriate, and Mithila, a second-year HSC student of Rajapur Alim Madrasa, are undergoing treatment at Chittagong Medical College Hospital in critical condition. Local caught Rafi and handed him over to law enforcers. Shahriar Kabir, a doctor at the emergency department of Feni 250-bed General Hospital, said Lucky Begum had died before being brought to the hospital. Muhammad Faizul Azim Noman, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Daganbhuiyan Police Station, said Rafi was detained from the scene. During initial interrogation, he told police that he had ordered two knives online. Police seized the knives used in the killing. Additional Superintendent of Police Saiful Islam said the body was sent to the Feni General Hospital morgue for autopsy and legal proceedings are underway.

Two people were killed in a collision between a covered van and a motorcycle at Gilapol on Navaron-Satkhira highway in Jashore on Monday morning. The victims were identified as Shahin Hossain, 34, son of  Siddique Hossain of Ulashi Khalpar area, and Tozammel Hossain, 45, son of late Atiar Rahman of the same area. Eyewitnesses said Shahinur and Tozammel were heading towards neighbouring Navaron Bazar on a motorcycle. Three ‘cow lifters’ beaten to death in Gazipur When they reached in front of Kabir Bricks in Gilapol area around 8am, a covered van coming from the opposite direction crashed into the motorbike, leaving Shahinur dead on the spot. Critically injured Tozammel was rescued by locals and taken to a hospital, where he died on the way. Gopal Karmaker, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Navaron Highway Police Station, said police seized the covered van. Legal proceedings are underway and drives have been conducted to arrest the driver and helper of the covered van, he added.

The Rajshahi district administration on Sunday announced May 15 as the official start date for mango harvesting in the current season. The “Mango Calendar” was unveiled at a meeting held in the Deputy Commissioner’s conference room, presided over by Deputy Commissioner Kazi Shahidul Islam. Mango growers, traders and officials from the Department of Agricultural Extension attended the meeting. According to the calendar, harvesting of Guti mangoes will begin on May 15, followed by Gopalbhog on May 22. Other varieties will be harvested according to the following schedule: Ranipachanda or Laxmanbhog from May 25, Himsagar or Khirsapat from May 30, Langra or Banana Mango from June 10, Amrapali and Fazli from June 15, BARI Mango-4 from July 5, Ashwina from July 10 and Gourmoti from July 15. Katimon and BARI Mango-11 varieties, however, can be harvested throughout the year depending on ripeness. The meeting warned that strict action would be taken against farmers or traders found harvesting unripe mangoes before the scheduled dates. However, if mangoes ripen earlier due to weather conditions, growers may market them after obtaining certification from the local upazila agriculture officer. Deputy Commissioner Kazi Shahidul Islam said the calendar was prepared based on consultations with farmers, traders and agricultural officials to ensure consumers receive ripe and safe mangoes. Deputy Director of the Rajshahi Agricultural Extension Department Md Mozdar Hossain said mango orchards currently cover around 18,000 hectares of land in Rajshahi. He said average production stands at about 12 metric tonnes per hectare, with last season’s total output reaching around 216,000 metric tonnes. This year, the production target has been set at approximately 230,000 metric tonnes.

Five members of a family, including three children, suffered burn injuries in an explosion apparently from a gas line leak at Fatullah in Sadar upazila of Narayanganj district on Sunday morning. The victims were identified as Kalam, 45, his wife Salma, 40, their son Munna, 12, and two daughters – Munni, 10, and Kotha, 7, of Uttar Bhuigar in the Fatullah area. Quoting locals, the fire service said the explosion occurred at the flat on the ground floor of an eight-storey building, owned by Md Shahjahan, around 6:55am, leaving five members of the family injured. The injured were sent to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka. "Gas accumulated in the closed room due to a leak in the gas line adjacent to the kitchen. We suspect that the explosion occurred instantly when the tenant ignited a lighter in the morning,” said Md Abdullah Al Arefin, deputy assistant director of Narayanganj Fire Service and Civil Defence. Of the injured, Kalam suffered burns on 95 percent of his body, while Salma 60 percent, and the three children 30, 35 and 52 percent, respectively, according to Dr Shaown Bin Rahman, resident surgeon of the burn institute.          

Police in Sharsha upazila of Jashore have cracked a murder mystery after one month by recovering the decomposed body of a missing youth from beneath the floor of a cowshed and arresting a couple suspected of being involved in the killing. The body of Ekramul Kabir was recovered on Saturday evening from Bosotpur village during a police raid. At that time, the law enforcers arrested Munni Akhter, 22, and her husband Al Fuad in connection with the killing. Police said Ekramul, son of Abdur Rashid, had been missing since April 8 after allegedly going to meet Munni Akhter, with whom he reportedly had a relationship. A case was later filed with the court by the victim’s father against five named individuals and five other unnamed ones. According to the complaint, Munni allegedly trapped Ekramul and forcibly took him to a marriage registrar’s office, where she arranged a marriage against his will. The complaint further claimed that Munni had previously married several young men in a similar manner, allegedly collecting money from them before later divorcing them. Within just one month of marrying Ekramul, she allegedly obtained Tk 10.7 lakh from him through deception. She and her associates were also accused of threatening Ekramul and his family and pressuring them to transfer ownership of two bighas of land. According to the case statement, Munni called the complainant and demanded Tk 20 lakh as ransom, threatening that he would not be found alive if the money was not paid. During the investigation, police detained Al Fuad for questioning. Based on information obtained during interrogation, law enforcers conducted a raid on the couple’s house in Bosotpur village on Saturday evening. Police then dug up the floor of a cowshed on the property and recovered Ekramul’s decomposed body buried under the ground, unraveling the disappearance mystery. Following the recovery, police arrested both Al Fuad and his wife Munni Akhter in connection with the murder. Investigators suspect financial disputes linked to an illicit relationship may have triggered the killing. According to preliminary findings, the victim had allegedly lent money to Munni and was later murdered as he demanded repayment. The body was then buried beneath the cowshed floor in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence. Officer-in-Charge of Sharsha Police Station Maruf Hossain said the body has been sent to Jashore General Hospital for autopsy. “We have successfully uncovered the murder mystery and arrested two suspects. Further interrogation is underway to determine whether others were involved,” the OC said.  

Five local leaders and activists of BNP and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami have been taken into custody in Mirpur upazila of Kushtia after they allegedly attempted to secure the release of a suspected drug dealer. According to police, the incident took place on Saturday night when a team, led by Sub-Inspector Rakibul Islam of Amla Police Camp under Mirpur Police Station, conducted a drive in the Technical College Road area of Sadarpur union. During the raid, police allegedly caught Rabiul, son of Ramjan Ali of Naoda Azampur village, red-handed with eight Yaba tablets around 8:30pm. Following his arrest, Rabiul was taken to Mirpur Police Station, where a case was filed against him under the Narcotics Control Act. Police said news of the arrest spread quickly in the area, and around 10:00pm, five local political activists arrived at the police station allegedly seeking Rabiul’s release. They are Enamul Haque, Member from ward No. 6 of Sadarpur Union Parishad and a BNP leader, along with Jamaat activists Sujan Ali, Alauddin, Shafiqul Islam and Saiful Islam. According to law enforcement officials, the group repeatedly pressured on-duty officers to release the drug suspect. Despite being warned several times, they allegedly continued their efforts, prompting police – on instructions from senior officials – to detain all five. Police said legal action against the detainees will be decided following consultations with higher authorities. As of Sunday morning, the five political activists and the arrested drug suspect remained in police custody. Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Shahidul Islam said district police remain firm in implementing the government’s zero-tolerance policy on narcotics.  

Three individuals were beaten to death by a mob on suspicion of cattle theft in Kaliakair upazila of Gazipur early Sunday. The incident occurred around 4:00am in the Bagchala area under Fulbaria union, where a group of 10-12 suspected cattle thieves allegedly arrived in a pickup van and attempted to steal cattle from the house of one Abu Bakkar Siddique, locals said. Sensing the intrusion, members of the household alerted local residents, who chased the group and managed to detain three of them, they said. Later, the angry mob beat them severely, leaving them injured. They also set fire to the pickup van used by the suspects. On information, police rushed in, rescued the injured and took them to Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared them dead. Officer-in-Charge of Kaliakair Police Station Shahidul Islam said police responded promptly after receiving the information and took the victims to hospital.