United News of Bangladesh

A fire in the server room of Sylhet’s MAG Osmani International Airport gutted some valuable equipment early Sunday. Airport Director Hafizuddin Ahmed said international flight operations and immigration services were not affected. “Although the server room caught fire it was quickly brought under control. Airport operations continue normally without any disruption,” he said. The fire broke out around 12 am in the airport’s server room. Airport fire service, Ansar personnel, and the Armed Police Battalion (APBN) members contained the blaze after nearly an hour, said Senior Station Officer of Sylhet Fire Service Kutubuddin. Seven Ansar members were injured during the operation. The exact extent of the damage is still being assessed, said A R M Alif, commander (Additional DIG) of 7 APBN Sylhet.

Two brothers drowned in a pond near their home in Faridganj upazila of Chandpur on Sunday. The deceased were identified as Yasin, 8, and Rusel, 6, sons of Abul Bashar and Shahina Begum of the village. The incident occurred in the afternoon in Kutubpur village under Rupsha Uttar Union of the upazila. Quoting the family, acting chairman of the local union parishad Zahirul Islam said the two brothers studied at a local Hafezia madrasa. Like any other day, they returned home around noon and went to bathe in the pond. As their mother was busy with household chores, she did not notice their absence immediately. When they did not return after a long time, family members searched for them and later found their bodies floating in the pond. They were rescued and taken to Faridganj Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared them dead. Resident Medical Officer Dr Muzammel Hossain said the incident was tragic and urged parents to remain vigilant, especially during hot weather when children often go near water to cool off. Mohammad Helal Uddin, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Faridganj Police Station, said police have been informed of the incident, but no complaint has been filed by the family.

A court in Chattogram on Sunday sentenced five members of a gang to death in connection with the murder of college student Fosiur Rahman Shawon 18 years ago. The verdict was delivered in the afternoon by Sixth Additional Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge Muhammad Ali Akkas. The condemned convicts are Bellal Hossain, Zakir Hossain, Shahid Raja, Al Amin Gazi and Md Sohel. Confirming the judgment, Chattogram Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Mofizul Haque Bhuiyan said that although 15 people were accused in the case, the court handed death sentences to five and acquitted the remaining 10 due to lack of evidence. According to the case details, on July 24, 2007, Shawon was strangled with a towel by muggers who boarded his CNG-run auto-rickshaw with the intention of robbery while he was travelling from a coaching centre at GEC intersection to Halishahar. Following the incident, Shawon’s uncle Khalilur Rahman filed a case with Kotwali Police Station. The court delivered the verdict after examining testimonies of 13 witnesses.

A man and his nephew died after being electrocuted in Maheshpur upazila of Jhenaidah on Sunday. The deceased were identified as Rafiqul Sarkar, 50, and his nephew Nur Alam, 35. Rafiqul was the son of the late Jamshed Sarkar of Baganmath village, while Nur Alam was the son of the late Abu Sama of the same village. The incident occurred in the afternoon in Baganmath village under Banshbaria union of Maheshpur upazila. Banshbaria Union Parishad Chairman Nazmul Huda Jintu said Rafiqul was spraying pesticides in his paddy field when he came into contact with a low-hanging electric wire connected to an irrigation motor, triggering the electrocution. Nur Alam, who was working in a nearby field, rushed to rescue his uncle but was also electrocuted. Both died on the spot. Mehedi Hasan, officer-in-charge of Maheshpur Police Station, said a police team was sent to the scene. “Necessary steps will be taken after investigation,” he added. The deaths have cast a pall of grief over the village.  

Two people were killed and at least 10 others injured when a minibus hit a standing truck at Konabari on the Dhaka-Tangail highway on Sunday evening. The identities of the victims could not be immediately confirmed. Eyewitnesses said a passenger minibus of Takwa Paribahan, traveling from Chandana intersection in Gazipur to Chandra in Kaliakoir, hit the broken-down truck around 6pm on the Konabari flyover. The impact crushed the minibus, killing two people on the spot and injuring at least 10 others. The injured were rescued by police, fire service personnel, and locals, and taken to various clinics and hospitals. The bodies were sent to the morgue at Gazipur Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College Hospital. The vehicles involved in the accident were removed from the flyover, and traffic returned to normal within about an hour. Iftekhar Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of GMP’s Konabari Police Station, said two deaths have been confirmed so far. “The process of identifying the bodies is underway, and the injured are receiving treatment,” he added. Locals, however, claim that three people may have died in the incident, but police have yet to confirm this.

Police have arrested a youth from Patiya upazila in Chattogram on charges of fraud and extortion using the names of the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and other top state officials. The arrestee was identified as Riyad Bin Salim, son of the late Md. Selim Uddin of the Paikpara area under Patiya municipality. Additional Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Chattogram Range Nazmul Hasan disclosed the information at a press briefing held at the office of the Superintendent of Police in Chattogram on Sunday afternoon. Riyad was arrested from his residence late Saturday night, he said . Police said he had long been involved in fraudulent activities and extortion by claiming close links with high-ranking government officials. Law enforcers recovered several items from his possession including an ID card bearing his photograph labeled “CSF Chairperson’s Security Force (ID No-013),” a metal detector, a walkie-talkie handset with charger, a black-handled signal light, a monitoring cell card with his photo, a walkie-talkie-like mobile phone and a button phone set. Nazmul Hasan said Riyad used to post photos on his Facebook account showing ‘close associations’ with top government officials and ministers to mislead people. Police suspect the images were generated using artificial intelligence (AI). He is also accused of creating fake ID cards of the Home Ministry’s protocol wing. Riyad took Tk 2. 15 lakh  from the wife of an accused named Kamrul Hasan promising to secure his bail while he was in jail. A case has been filed with the local police station in this connection. Police said he is facing multiple cases including allegations of rape and narcotics offences. He defrauded several individuals by promising jobs in positions such as tax inspector, control operator and server in-charge at Chattogram City Corporation, said police.

A joint team of police and Detective Branch (DB) on Sunday arrested two Jamaat-e-Islami leaders in connection with an assault on police personnel inside Palashbari police station in Gaibandha. The arrestees were Palash Ahmed, 35, Baitul Mal secretary of Palashbari upazila  Jubo Jamaat, and Golzar Rahman, 34, a rukon of Palashbari upazila Jamaat. Tipped off, a joint team of Palashbari police station and detectives conducted the drive and arrested them. Earlier, three other Jamaat leaders were arrested in connection with the incident and sent to a court, bringing the total number of arrestees in the case to five. Police said the incident occurred on the night of March 25 when leaders and activists of Jubo Jamaat entered Palashbari Police Station around 9:30pm and assaulted Officer-in-Charge Sarowar Alam along with seven other police personnel. Sub-Inspector Ruhul Amin, who was injured in the attack, filed a case against Jamaat leaders and activists in this connection.

There has been another reported attempt to stop an ambulance carrying a patient in Shariatpur, raising alarm and anger among locals. On Saturday morning around 8am, a Dhaka-bound ambulance transporting a patient at a low cost in front of Shariatpur Sadar Hospital was stopped allegedly by a local youth named Sourav, who reportedly tried to take the vehicle’s keys. When the patient’s relatives intervened, an argument ensued. At one point, the relatives were threatened with beating, and pushing and shoving occurred. Fearing for their safety, the patient’s relatives were forced to turn the ambulance around and leave. Locals alleged that an influential syndicate has long controlled ambulance services in the area. They claimed that whenever patients are transported at a lower cost, obstacles are created and threats are made to intimidate the operators. The incident has caused deep concern among residents. Locals have urged the administration to take immediate action to ensure that such incidents do not recur and that patients can be transported safely without interference. Earlier in January, a patient died in an ambulance that was obstructed twice allegedly by a local ambulance syndicate in Shariatpur district. Jamshed Ali Dhali, 65, died because he did not receive timely treatment as the ambulance carrying him was stopped at two locations for around one and a half hours on the way to Dhaka, his family claimed. Later, Jubayer Hossain Ruman Dhali, grandson of the deceased, filed a case against four identified and six unidentified people with Palong Model Police Station, said Shah Alam, Officer-in-Charge of the police station. Later, police arrested Sumon Khan, the ambulance driver, in this connection during a drive in the Shariatpur district town. The other accused in the case were—Sajib, 18, Pervez, 26 and Hannan, 25.

A 30-year-old man was beaten to death by a mob over allegations of theft in Khulna. Victim Didar Sarder, was the son of Binu Sardar, a resident of the Arakandi area in Kashiani upazila of Gopalganj district. Locals said that fish had been stolen every night for the past few days from an enclosure beside Latar Beel under Arangghata Police Station. To catch the thief, local residents began guarding the area. Late on Friday night, Didar entered the enclosure of Nihar Biswas allegedly to steal fish. He was caught by locals and severely beaten on the spot. He was taken to Khulna Medical College Hospital in a critical condition around 7am, where the on-duty doctor declared him dead. The body was later kept in the morgue. Shahjahan Ahmed, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Arangghata Police Station, said police reached the spot around 9:30am after receiving information. He said the incident is under investigation and legal action will be taken if the victim’s family files a case.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain has said each family of those killed in the fire at an unauthorised gas lighter factory in South Keraniganj will receive Tk 2 lakh. He made the announcement after visiting the spot in the Kadamtali Gol Chattar area around 7:30pm on Saturday. Station Officer (Media) of the Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters Talha bin Zashim told UNB that five bodies have so far been recovered from the burned factory. The fire broke out around 1pm at the tin-shed factory, which was used for manufacturing gas lighters. Seven firefighting units rushed to the scene around 1:16pm after receiving the information and brought the blaze under control around 2:30pm, he added. The fire was completely extinguished at 4:44pm.