United News of Bangladesh

Two people died after a water-melon carrying trawler capsized in Lohadia River after being hit by a launch at Bamonikathi in Baufal upazila of Patuakhali district on Wednesday. The deceased were identified as Rezaul Karim, 28, son of Wazed Hawladar and Nasir Fakir, 42, son of Abdul Fakir of Rangabali upazila of the district. Al Mamun, in-charge of Kalaia Port River Police, said the water-melon laden trawler from Rangabali sank in the river after being hit by a launch named ‘MV-Awlad-7’ around 4 am due to ppor visibility caused by the dense fog. Two people, who were asleep inside the trawler, died as they failed to come out from the trawler.

Bangladesh has sought Switzerland’s cooperation in recovering funds laundered abroad and advancing police reforms. The cooperation was sought during a meeting between Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and Swiss Ambassador to Bangladesh Reto Renggli at the Secretariat on Wednesday. During the meeting the two sides discussed a wide range of issues including law and order, security and counterterrorism efforts as well as the practice of parliamentary democracy. They also discussed reforms in policing and other sectors, financial sector reforms, prevention of money laundering, and measures to tackle scams and digital fraud. Mentioning that improving law and order remains the government’s top priority, the Home Minister said that the administration is committed to fostering genuine parliamentary democracy. “All political parties have the right to hold meetings and rallies but these must be conducted responsibly to avoid public suffering,” he said. Criticising the previous regime, he said law enforcement agencies had been excessively used against political parties which he termed unfortunate. Ambassador Renggli expressed Switzerland’s willingness to provide technical and strategic support to enhance police capacity and advance reforms. He also inquired about the challenges in implementing the government’s reform agenda and stressed the importance of making parliament more effective, noting that peaceful debate is essential for democratic progress. Referring to his recent participation in the Global Fraud Summit 2026 held in Vienna on March 16–17, the Minister said digital scams now account for around 40 percent of global fraud. He also described it as a worldwide crisis that cannot be tackled without cross-border cooperation. The Ambassador also identified digital fraud as a growing concern and underscored the need for coordinated international efforts. Joint Secretary (Political-1) at the Home Ministry Rebecca Khan and Counsellor at the Swiss Embassy Alberto Giovanetti, among others, were present at the meeting. Later, Regional Director for South Asia of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Kristian Hölge held a separate meeting with the home minister.

A  man was killed by a lightning strike in South Hajipur Majhapara village in Taraganj upazila of Rangpur district on Tuesday night.  The deceased was identified as Ashraful Islam, 27, son of Akbar Ali of the village. Locals said heavy rain accompanied by strong winds and lightning hit the area around 9 pm. When Ashraful was collecting tobacco leaves left out to dry in the field lightning struck him, leaving him dead on the spot, said Taraganj police station Officer-in-Charge Ruhul Amin. 

A student leader of July movement was stabbed to death by unidentified assailants in Cox’s Bazar late Tuesday night. The deceased was Khorshed Alam, son of Shah Alam of  Isulur Ghona area of Cox’s Bazar, a local leader of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and a student coordinator. According to police and witnesses, a group of unidentified attackers swooped on Khorshed around 10:30pm while he was at Kobita Chattar area and stabbed him multiple times, leaving him critically injured. He was rushed to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital by his friend Shah Alam and fellow studentswhere doctors declared him dead. Hospital sources said several stab wounds were found on his abdomen and legs. Police took into custody a female coordinator, identified as Tarin, who was accompanying him at the time, for questioning. The killing has sparked tension  in Cox’s Bazar town with leaders and activists of Chhatra Dal and other organisations gathering in front of the hospital upon hearing the news. Around 12:30am, agitated activists of Cox’s Bazar district Chhatra Dal brought out a protest procession , demanding immediate identification and arrest of those responsible. Officer-in-Charge of Cox’s Bazar Sadar Model Police Station Shamim Uddin said efforts are underway to identify and arrest those involved.  

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)-11  arrested a railway gatekeeper on Tuesday evening in connection with the deadly bus-train collision that killed 12 people in Cumilla. The accused, Helal, was arrested from the Shankuchail area of Burichang upazila by a team from RAB-11, Company-2. The accident occurred around 3:00am on Saturday at Paduar Bazar level crossing on the Dhaka–Chattogram railway route. Earlier on Monday, Laksham Railway Police Station filed a case over the accident naming the gatekeeper and his assistant as accused. RAB Cumilla Inspector Firoz Kabir said a press briefing will be held on Wednesday at the RAB office in Cumilla regarding the arrest.

Police arrested nine youths along with illegal Indian goods worth around Tk 2.70 lac in Sylhet. The arrests were made during a drive conducted by Shahporan (RA) Police Station on the Sylhet–Tamabil highway in the Bateshwar area on Monday night. Sub-Inspector SM Jamal Uddin, along with a team of police, set up a checkpoint in front of Jalalabad Cantonment Board School around 9pm and detained the suspects with the contraband items. The arrestees were identified as Badal Mia, 35; Billal, 26; Ilias, 60; Rifat Hossain, 20; Iqbal Hossain, 40; Sakidul Islam Kajen, 35; Riyad Mia, 26; Tawsifuzzaman Mahin, 19; and another Rifat, 26. They are residents of different areas in Narsingdi and Narayanganj districts. Police said the seized items include 440kg of Indian cumin valued at Tk 2.20 lakh, 90 pieces of Dove Serum Bar soap worth Tk 13,500, 60 pieces of Harmony Fruity Soap worth Tk 1,200, 88 bottles of Keo Karpin Olivoyl worth Tk 13,200, 85 bottles of Olivoyl worth Tk 6,800, and 520 pieces of Nestle KitKat chocolates worth Tk 15,400. The total value of the recovered goods stands at Tk 2,70,100 (2 lac 70 thousand 100).  Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) Mohammad Saiful Islam confirmed this, adding that a case has been filed with Shahporan (RA) Police Station and the arrestees have been sent to court.

Two people were killed and 50 others injured in a clash between two groups of villagers involving nine villages over longstanding enmity at Nasirnagar upazila of Brahmanbaria district on Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Habibur Rahman, 35, and Akter Mia, 45, both belonging to villages under Nasirnagar upazila. Local people said there had been enmity between the supporters of BNP activist Rahim Talukdar and independent candidate Kashem Mia over the 13th Parliamentary election. Tension had been brewing since the day of the election, when one Zia Mia was detained by the Army at Goyalnagar High School polling centre over alleged vote rigging. He was later sentenced to 15 days’ imprisonment by a mobile court under section 171 of the Penal Code. Zia Mia was released from jail three days ago and returned to the area. He suspected that Shishu Mia, a supporter of the independent candidate, had snitched to the Army, leading to his arrest. Recently, Zia Mia allegedly assaulted Shishu Mia and snatched his motorcycle, in the build up to the clash Tuesday. Earlier March 17, the two groups had already come to blows, which had to be eventually settled by local influential people. Fighting erupted on Tuesday morning again between the supporters of (BNP-backed) Rahim Talukdar and (independent candidate-backed) Kashem Mia as the tension reached its peak. Several hundred people from Laluartuku, Dakshindia, Shibpur, Jamarbali, Maijkhola, Kadamtali, Goyalnagar, Machhma and Rampur villages, equipped with local lethal weapons joined in, turning the area into a battleground. Habibur Rahman and Akter Mia died on the spot, while many others were injured in chase and counter-chase and brick-batting. The injured were taken to local hospitals, and the Sadar Hospital. On information, police from Nasirnagar Police Station and Chatalpar outpost rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.  Additional police have been deployed in the area to avert further violence. Officer-in-Charge of Nasirnagar Police Station Md Shahinur Islam said  the clash erupted over previous enmity.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members seized Indian LSD during a drive on a Dhaka-bound train in Kushtia, officials said on Tuesday. According to a BGB press release, tipped off, a special patrol team conducted a drive at Mirpur Railway Station around 8:30pm on Monday. During the operation, the team searched a compartment of Madhumati Express train and recovered 12 bottles of LSD worth around Tk 6.24 crore in an abandoned condition. In a separate drive early Tuesday, BGB personnel seized a large quantity of Indian Dexamethasone tablets, Phensedyl syrup and leaf cigarettes wroth Tk 2.80 lakh from Munshiganj field and Pragpur river ghat.

A 25-year-old man suffered burn injuries in an explosion allegedly while making crude bombs at Nilfa Bazar in Tungipara upazila of Gopalganj district on Monday. The injured was identified as Matiur Rahman of the area. Sarwar Hossain, Additional Superintendent of Gopalganj Police, said an explosion occurred at the house of Matiur on Monday evening, leaving him injured. Later, local people took him to Gopalganj Medical College and Hospital. Family members of Matiur claimed he suffered burn injuries while making firecrackers for a wedding programme. Asim Kumar Dhar, a physician at Gopalganj Medical College Hospital, said the nature of the injuries did not appear consistent with a firecrackers explosion. An investigation into the incident is underway, said police.

Trading on Bangladesh’s bourses resumed on Tuesday after the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays with a downward trend, as key indices dropped in the first hour of transactions. At the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), the benchmark DSEX index fell by 65 points during the opening hour. The Shariah-based DSES index declined by 10 points, while the blue-chip DS30 index lost 33 points. Most listed companies witnessed price erosion, with share prices of 273 firms declining against 56 gainers, while 40 remained unchanged. Turnover at the DSE stood at Tk 120 crore in the first hour of trading. Meanwhile, the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) also experienced a downturn, with its overall CASPI index shedding 15 points. Stocks surge at DSE, CSE for second straight day Out of the traded issues, 26 companies posted gains, while 12 declined and 7 remained unchanged. The port city bourse recorded a turnover of around Tk 2 crore in the first hour of trading.