United News of Bangladesh

A woman was stabbed to death allegedly by her husband in Kanaighat upazila of Sylhet district early Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Farhana Begum, wife of Sohel Ahmed of Borobond Khanda village under Lakshmiprasad West union in the upazila. According to locals, Sohel used to inflict torture on Farhana, a mother of three, frequently. She went away to her parents’ house two days ago due to torture, they said. Woman stabbed to death ‘by husband’ in Dhaka On Monday, Farhana was staying at her maternal uncle’s house at Mohail village under Dorbost union. Later that night, Sohel and one of his cousins allegedly brought her back to his house in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw. Family members alleged that Farhana was stabbed around 2:00am on Tuesday, leaving her dead on the spot. Victim’s brother Selim Uddin alleged that Sohel was a drug addict and frequently assaulted Farhana. He said several local arbitration meetings had previously been held over the issue. Selim said Farhana often sought shelter at her parents’ home to escape the abuse. On information, police recovered the body and sent it to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy. Officer-in-Charge of Kanaighat Police Station Aminul Islam said police are conducting drives to arrest the accused.

Police in Brahmanbaria have arrested a convicted fugitive in a loan default case involving NCC Bank, following a special operation on Monday. The accused, Enamul Haque Bhuiyan, was arrested from the South Kalibari Mor area in Brahmanbaria town and later sent to district jail, police said. He is the son of late Alhaj Zahirul Haque Bhuiyan and owner of Messrs United Sanitary and Machinery, located at Kalibari Mor on T.A. Road in the district town. One arrested for demanding extortion money from foreign firm in Madhabdi Brahmanbaria Sadar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Shahidul Islam confirmed the arrest, saying a police team conducted the drive based on secret information. A warrant for his arrest had been issued by the court in 2023, he added. According to bank and court sources, Enamul Haque Bhuiyan took a loan of Tk 2 crore from NCC Bank on September 11, 2012, but later defaulted on repayment, prompting the bank to file a case against him in 2015 with the Brahmanbaria Chief Judicial Magistrate Court. After a lengthy hearing, the court sentenced him to one year of simple imprisonment and imposed a fine of Tk 2,47,23,119 in the case. Following the verdict, a warrant was issued in 2023, and he had been on the run since then.

Torrential hill water has entered Eranbil (Ikrachai) haor in Sunamganj’s Madhyanagar upazila after a nearby rural road collapsed under pressure on Tuesday, raising fresh concerns for remaining paddy crops in the area. According to local sources, the surge of water flowing down from Netrokona’s Durgapur area increased the flow of the Monai River, which eventually caused a section of a rural road beside Hamidpur village to break. The breach allowed floodwater to rush into the haor. Agriculture department officials said the Ikrachai haor has a total of 114 hectares of cultivable land. Of this, farmers have already harvested paddy from about 40 hectares. However, due to the sudden flooding, crops on an estimated 5 to 10 hectares have been submerged. Farmers and local authorities are now scrambling to save the remaining standing paddy, which has become a major challenge. Confirming the incident, Madhyanagar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sanjoy Ghosh said the broken structure was a rural road, not a Water Development Board embankment. “The pressure from the hill torrents coming from Durgapur, Netrokona, was so strong that a portion of the road could not withstand it and collapsed,” he said. We are treating the situation with urgency. Although most of the crops have already been harvested, we are still trying to prevent further damage to the remaining paddy with the help of locals, he added. Farmers in the haor said the timing of the flash flood is critical. With water levels in rivers rising over the past few days, they had already been on alert. After the breach, they are now rushing to harvest and store the remaining ripe paddy. Local administration and residents are jointly working to repair the damaged section to prevent further inundation. Authorities said the situation is being closely monitored and emergency measures will be taken if necessary.

Three people were killed as a microbus plunged into a roadside ditch at Jangalia on Chittagong-Cox's Bazar highway in Lohagara upazila of Chattogram. The identities of the victims could not be known immediately. Feroz Khan, a senior officer of Lohagara Fire Service, said  the microbus lost control and fell into the ditch around 9 am, leaving seven people  injured. Truck-microbus collision leaves driver dead, 10 passengers injured in Dinajpur The injured were rushed to a hospital where doctors declared three people dead. The deceased included two Buddhist monks.    Four injured victims  are undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Dhaka-bound Chattala Express remained stranded at Feni railway station for around five hours on Tuesday after developing an engine fault, leaving nearly 700 passengers in distress. The problem occurred around 7:50 am when the train entered Feni station from Chattogram, according to railway officials and police sources. The train resumed its journey towards Dhaka  around 2:00 pm after a relief train came and resolved the issue, said Feni railway station master Mohammad Harun. Smoke was suddenly seen coming out from the engine’s ‘tablet cover’ around 7:50 am and when Assistant Locomaster Mohammad Kawser was attempting to fix the problem he fell sick  due to smoke inhalation. He was immediately rescued by colleagues and taken to Feni General Hospital for treatment. Many were seen getting off the train and seeking alternative modes of transport. Their suffering was further aggravated by a Nor’wester storm accompanied by heavy rainfall. Feni Railway Station Master Mohammad Harun said many passengers who were supposed to board the train from Feni opted to refund their tickets and left for their destinations using alternative transport. However, despite the train being stranded on the platform, movement of other trains remained normal as two adjacent lines were operational.  

At least four people were injured in a clash between transport workers at the central bus terminal in Sylhet on Monday, triggered by a dispute over a convening committee. The clash broke out around 2:00 pm at the Kadamtali bus terminal among workers from Jokiganj-Jaflong, Jagannathpur and Dhaka-Sylhet route-based transport services, including Mitali Paribahan and Habiganj Express. According to sources, tensions had been building over the formation of a convening committee following the death of a transport workers’ union leader in Jagannathpur. Supporters of a leader excluded from the committee allegedly tried to take control of an office, leading to the violence. The situation escalated when workers chased and assaulted rivals, prompting counter-attacks from other groups. Bricks were hurled and several buses and ticket counters were vandalised during the nearly two-hour-long clash. Witnesses said two of the injured were taken to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital. Transport workers’ union leaders said the violence quickly spread across different groups, making it difficult to determine responsibility. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police Manzurul Islam said the clash stemmed from internal disputes within the workers’ organisation, adding that the situation was later brought under control. Army personnel were deployed at the scene around 4:00 pm, helping restore order, although tension persisted among the groups.

Four suspects involved in the murder of customs official Bullet Bairagi ,27, in Cumilla have given confessional statements before the court, while another accused has been remanded for three days. On Monday afternoon, police produced the five arrested individuals before the Cumilla court. Titu Kumar Nath, Investigating officer Sub-Inspector (SI) of Sadar Dakkhin Police Station, sought a 10-day remand, along with permission to record confessional statements. Court Inspector Mamunur Rashid, said one accused was placed on a three-day remand while four others were giving confessional statements in court. The arrested persons are Imran Hossain Hridoy, 37, of Amratoli area in Cumilla Sadar, Md Sohag, 30, Ismail Hossain Johnny, 25, Md Sujon, 32, and Rahatul Rahman Jewel, 27. Among them, four were directly involved in the killing and one was a CNG driver. RAB said the arrestees are members of a professional mugger gang and were previously accused in a railway robbery case. They carried out the murder by trapping the victim while posing as passengers.   According to RAB, Bullet Bairagi went missing on April 24 night while returning to Cumilla from Chattogram after completing his training. About 12 hours later, on April 25 at around 8:45 am, his body was recovered by Moinamoti Highway Police from beside a hotel in the Kotbari area on the Dhaka–Chattogram highway. Multiple injury marks were found on the body. Later, the victim’s mother filed a murder case with Sadar Dakkhin Model Police Station in Cumilla against unidentified persons. RAB launched an investigation and intensified intelligence surveillance following the incident. During the operation, a CNG-run autorickshaw used in the crime, a machete, a Swiss gear and a hammer were recovered. On the night of the incident, the victim got off a bus in the Jagorjhuli area of Cumilla, where he was targeted by the gang. He was then forced into an autorickshaw, beaten and robbed, and later pushed from the moving vehicle, causing fatal head injuries. RAB-11 said that evidence of their involvement in the incident was found after analyzing information technology and CCTV footage.

A group of teenage boys allegedly killed their friend in Narayanganj’s Fatullah out of curiosity to experience what it is like to go to jail, police said on Monday. The victim was identified as Hossain,11, who used to sell flowers in Narayanganj city with his father. He had been missing since the morning of April 18. His body was recovered on April 23 from an abandoned house in the Dapa Idrakpur Bank Colony area of Fatullah. Speaking at a press briefing, Narayanganj Superintendent of Police Mohammad Mizanur Rahman Munshi said the murder was planned by a group of adolescents who often gathered and abused drugs at the abandoned house. According to the investigation, three of the boys- Saiful, Tanvir and Yunus discussed among themselves that committing a murder would lead to imprisonment. Driven by curiosity about prison life, they planned the killing. They later lured Hossain to the abandoned house with the promise of smoking cannabis. Three more friends were already present there. The group then stabbed Hossain to death and fled, leaving the body behind. The incident came to light when a local resident overheard a teenage boy speaking suspiciously about the killing over a mobile phone. Residents later went to the house, found the body, and detained one of the suspects. Upon questioning, he revealed details of the murder and was handed over to police. Following the recovery of the body, police first arrested Yasin. Based on his information, five more teenagers were detained in subsequent drives. A total of six suspects have been arrested in connection with the case, including four named in the case and two identified during the investigation. The police chief said the prime accused, Yasin, has given a confessional statement under Section 164 before a court. The sharp weapon used in the killing has also been recovered. Police said another suspect is still on the run.

Police have arrested two people in connection with the killing of a shrine leader and vandalism during an attack on a darbar (spiritual centre) in Daulatpur upazila of Kushtia, nearly two weeks after the incident. The arrests were made late Sunday night during a raid in the Philipnagar area of the upazila, police said. The arrested individuals are Biplob, 26, son of Naharul Mondal, and Alif Islam, 23, son of Rabiul Islam, both from West South Philipnagar. Daulatpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Arifur Rahman confirmed the matter, saying they were detained during a special operation. Another person, Fazlul Ali, was taken to the police station for questioning but later released to his family after preliminary interrogation. He said the arrests were made based on analysis of CCTV footage from the incident site and ongoing investigation. According to police and local reports, on April 11, a mob attacked the darbar of Abdul Rahman, also known as Shamim or Jahangir, in Philipnagar area, following the circulation of an old video on social media allegedly insulting religious sentiments. The attackers vandalised and set fire to the premises and looted property. At one point, the darbar leader Pir Shamim was beaten to death during the violence. Following the incident, the victim’s brother Fazlur Rahman filed a case with Daulatpur Police Station on April 13, naming four individuals and accusing around 180 to 200 unidentified people.

Two farmers were killed in separate lightning strikes in Sunamganj Sadar upazila on Monday afternoon while harvesting paddy in haor areas, and three more people were injured in Shantiganj upazila, officials said. The deceased were identified as Jamir Uddin, 40, son of Abdur Kadir of Abdullahpur village under Mollapara union of Sunamganj Sadar upazila, and Jamir Hossain, 42, son of Kayed Hossain of Baitakhali village under Gourarang union of the same upazila. Lightning strikes in Sunamganj make Speaker question his life choices Local people and eyewitnesses said Jamir Uddin was cutting paddy with other farmers in the Dekhar Haor area of Abdullahpur village when a sudden lightning strike seriously injured him amid cloudy weather. His colleagues rescued him and rushed him to Sunamganj Sadar Hospital, where the duty doctor declared him dead. Around the same time, Jamir Hossain was struck by lightning while heading from his house to open a shop at the village river ghat. He was also taken to the same hospital in critical condition, but doctors pronounced him dead. Dr Shafikur Rahman of Sunamganj Sadar Hospital confirmed the deaths of the two farmers. In Shantiganj upazila, three more farmers were injured while harvesting paddy in a lightning strike. Locals rescued them and provided first aid. The incidents cast a shadow of grief over the area as the peak paddy harvesting season continues in the haor region. Local agricultural officials and the administration have urged farmers working in the haor to remain alert and follow weather forecasts. They also stressed the importance of seeking shelter in safe, concrete structures or leaving open areas quickly during thunderstorms.