United News of Bangladesh

A three-year-old child who fell into a 30-feet deep hole dug for a tube well in Raozan upazila of Chattogram died on Wednesday night, shortly after being rescued. Fire Service officials said the child, Mejbah Uddin, son of Saiful , was declared dead by physicians around 8:30pm. He fell into the narrow hole about one foot wide and 30 feet deep around 5:30pm. Upon receiving information, rescue operations were launched immediately under the leadership of the Deputy Director of the Fire Service and Civil Defence in Chattogram. Six Fire Service units, including a specially trained Special Rescue Team (SRT), were deployed at the scene. Members of Urban Community Volunteers also joined the operation. After about two hours and 40 minutes of intensive effort, the child was rescued around 8:10pm and rushed to the nearest hospital by Fire Service personnel. The Director General of the Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence expressed deep condolences to the bereaved family and thanked all organisations involved for completing the risky rescue operation within a short time.

Breaking away from the usual combative rituals of electioneering, all contenders for Chuadanga-1 constituency came together on a single stage on Wednesday, facing voters directly and pledging accountability, transparency and corruption-free governance. Three rival candidates -often divided by ideology and party lines—sat side by side, listened to voters’ concerns and answered pointed questions. More strikingly, they went beyond campaign promises, jointly signing a stringent 15-point written pledge committing themselves to clean, people-centric governance if elected. The event, titled “Face to Face with the People”, was organised by Shujan, Chuadanga district unit, at the open stage adjacent to the Water Development Board in the town. On stage were BNP-nominated candidate Md Sharifuzzaman Sharif, also general secretary of the district BNP; Jamaat-e-Islami nominee Advocate Masud Parvez Russell, assistant secretary of the district Jamaat; and Islami Andolon Bangladesh candidate Zahurul Islam Azizi. Despite sharp ideological differences, the three candidates spoke in one voice on several issues, promising to turn Chuadanga into a district free from terrorism, drugs and tender manipulation. Presided over by Professor Siddiqur Rahman, former principal of Chuadanga Government College and president of Shujan’s district unit, the programme was moderated by journalist Meherabbin Sanvi, the organisation’s district facilitator. Ignoring the winter chill, more than 450 voters from different parts of the district joined the dialogue, voicing expectations and frustrations—from unemployment and farmers’ fair prices to law and order and political intolerance. Sharifuzzaman Sharif said he envisioned Chuadanga as a modern, secure and inclusive region. “Standing before you today, I pledge that if elected, I will work to make Chuadanga free from terrorism, drugs and extortion,” he said.

A Dhaka court on Wednesday sentenced five people to death and four others to imprisonment unto death in a case over the killing former president of Gopalganj Motor Workers Union Saidur Rahman Basu in 2016. Judge of Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 Md Rahibul Islam handed down the punishment. The condemned convicts are Bulbul Sheikh, Hedayet Sheikh, Tafsir Sheikh, Kibria Al Kazi and Jhantu Sheikh. The four other convicts are Mintu Sheikh, Kenai Sheikh, Alimuzzaman Bitu and Prince Kha. The court also sentenced 11 others to life imprisonment with a fine of Tk 10,000 each. They are Iqbal Kha, Tutul Sheikh, rony Sheikh, Akram Ali, Habib Kazi, Bulgan Kazi, Sajib Sheikh, Panir Sheikh, Sihab Sheikh, Rashed Sheikh alias Rashed Kha and Shawkat Sheikh. According to the prosecution, the convicts stabbed and beaten Basu to death on the way to his home from office at Kuadanga in Gopalganj on February 17, 2016. Jasu Sheikh, brother of Basu filed a case with Sadar Police Station on February 19, 2016. Police submitted chargehseet against 23 people on July 12, 2016. Read More: Missing woman’s body found in septic tank in Narail; husband arrested During trial proceedings, the court exempted three people from the charges.

Police recovered the decomposed body of a missing housewife from a septic tank in Kalia Upazila of Narail on Tuesday, more than a month after she disappeared. The victim, Alpana, 35, also known as Sumi, went missing from her in-laws’ house in Shuktagram’s Purba Para on the night of December 19 last.  Despite searches by her family, no trace of her was found. Her brother, Md. Sakib Molya, 19, filed a general diary at Kalia Police Station on December 20. Her husband, Al-Amin Mondal, also known as Iranur, has been taken into custody in connection with the case. The body was recovered from a septic tank near the Babra-Hachla Union Community Clinic in Shuktagram village. During police interrogations, Al-Amin reportedly confessed to killing his wife and concealing her body. Kalia Police Officer-in-Charge Idris Ali confirmed the recovery and the arrest of the husband. Assistant Superintendent of Police Robin Haldar of Kalia Circle said, “After taking the husband into custody and questioning him, he admitted to killing his wife and attempting to dispose of her body. Based on his confession, the body was recovered from the septic tank near the residence. Legal proceedings are currently underway.” Police said they have launched an investigation into the murder.  

Two people, including a female student, were killed and three others injured when a speeding truck rammed into a parked CNG auto-rickshaw on the Dhaka–Chattogram highway in Mirsarai upazila on Wednesday morning. The accident occurred around 8:30am in front of Zahedia Madrasah at Borotakia Bazar, said Nadim Haider, Police Superintendent of Mirsarai Circle. “Two people died on the spot, while three others were taken to hospital in critical condition. Fire service personnel and highway police are working to restore normal traffic,” said Nadim Haider. One of the deceased was identified as Khadija Mashmum, 12, a Class X student of the madrasah. The identity of the other victim could not be confirmed yet. Police said the accident occurred when the truck driver lost control over the steering while heading towards Chattogram and hit the stationary auto-rickshaw, causing it to plunge into a nearby pond. The injured were rushed to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, where their condition was said to be critical. Read More: 219 killed in 409 road accidents in Dhaka in 2025 The accident led to severe traffic congestion on the Chattogram-bound lane of the highway for several hours.

The army on Monday arrested two armed militants with a large cache of weapons and drugs during a special operation in Dharmapur area of Fatikchhari upazila in Chattogram. Acting on secret information, troops from the Fatikchhari Army Camp under Laxichhari zone conducted the operation in the late night of Monday to early morning of Tuesday. The arrested were identified as Md. Rafiqul (55) and Md. Moin Uddin (36), son of Abdul Malek of Dharmapur village in Fatikchhari. 23 Indian fishermen freed from Bagerhat jail During the operation, the army recovered a significant amount of domestic and illegal firearms, ammunition, and drugs. Seized items include two shotguns, a pistol, an airgun, a dummy pistol, a .303 caliber bullet, a shotgun shell, three used shotgun cartridges, 100 rounds of airgun ammunition, five sharp machetes, a foreign knife, a dagger, and nearly four liters of locally brewed alcohol. An army officer said the arrested militants are being handed over to Fatikchhari police for legal action. He added that such operations will continue in the future to ensure national peace, security, and stability and to combat terrorism and crime.

Twenty three Indian fishermen were released from Bagerhat district jail on Tuesday following a court order. Jail authorities handed them over to the Bangladesh Coast Guard around 11:00 am. Officials from the Indian High Commission, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, police, and an executive magistrate from the district administration were present at the time. After the handover, Coast Guard members escorted the fishermen to Mongla under security. They are expected to be handed over to the Indian Coast Guard at the midpoint of the Bangladesh-India maritime boundary on Thursday. The fishermen were arrested in two phases in October, 2025 for illegally entering Bangladesh waters and fishing there. Navy members detained 14 fishermen along with one trawler in one incident and other 9 fishermen with another trawler in a separate incident. Read More: Bangladesh, India repatriate fishermen released from custody Later, cases were filed against them under the Marine Fisheries Act and they were sent to the jail. Bagerhat Jail Superintendent Md Mostafa Kamal said on January 20 this year a Bagerhat court acquitted all 23 Indian fishermen of the charges. Later, on January 25, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order for their repatriation and the fishermen were released from jail following the order, he said. Coast Guard Mongla West Zone Lieutenant Commander Selim Biswas said Coast Guard members will depart from Mongla by sea with the fishermen and they will be handed over to the Indian Coast Guard at the midpoint of the Bangladesh–India maritime boundary on Thursday. Earlier, 47 Indian fishermen were released from the same jail and returned home on December 7, 2025.

Train services on the Dhaka-Sylhet and Dhaka-Chattogram routes were suspended early Tuesday after a bogie of  a Chattogram-bound train derailed in Bhairab upazila of Kishoreganj. The incident occurred around 3:30 am as the train departed Bhairab Bazar Junction, railway officials said. The fourth coach of Dhaka Mail-1 train veered off the tracks about 150 metres from the junction, blocking both the up and down lines and bringing rail communication on the busy routes to a halt. Several trains were stranded at different stations, causing significant inconvenience to passengers. A relief train from Akhaura has reached the site, and efforts to restore normal rail movement are ongoing. Pickup overturns in Kishoreganj, 1 Killed, 12 injured Bhairab Railway Station Master Md Yusuf said the Dhaka Mail-2 left Dhaka Railway Station at 2:55 am and reached Bhairab Bazar Junction before the derailment occurred shortly after receiving clearance to proceed. No casualties were reported, he said.

A young jute trader was shot by assailants in Ashulia of Savar on Monday afternoon. The injured, identified as Azad Hossain, 32, sustained a bullet wound to his leg, currently undergoing treatment at Enam Medical College Hospital. According to locals, the attack occurred around 4:30pm in the Eastern Housing area of Jamgora, Ashulia, when a group of 20 to 25 youths reportedly attacked Azad. Savar ‘serial killer’ confesses to six murders: Police Ashulia Police Station Officer-in-Charge Rubel Howlader said police are investigating the incident and efforts are underway to arrest those involved.

A 20-year-old youth who was shot during a clash with members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in Jaintapur upazila of Sylhet has died. Md Atiq Ahmed succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital around 5:30pm on Monday, said Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman Mollah, officer-in-charge of Jaintapur Model Police Station. The deceased Atiq was the son of late Noor Nabi of Gaurishankar village in Jaintapur upazila. According to police, on January 22 between 8:30pm and 10:00pm, BGB members on patrol in the Gaurishankar Tiprakhola area under Jaintapur Police Station clashed with a group of local smugglers. At one stage, the smugglers allegedly hurled bricks and stones at the BGB members, leaving one BGB personnel seriously injured in the head. 8 Sylhet Medical University officials jailed in ACC case Following the incident, BGB members opened fire, during which Atiq Ahmed was shot and injured. He was later taken to Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital in critical condition. Police said further legal action would be taken in connection with the incident.