United News of Bangladesh

A fire gutted valuables at a fish processing factory in Sagorika area of Pahartali in Chattogram port city on Sunday. Witnesses said the fire started around 11:45am at a storage facility of a factory named ‘BD Sea Food Limited’ located at C-Port No. 3 in the city and engulfed it, said deputy director of Fire Service and Civil Defence, Jashim Uddin. On information, eight firefighting units rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control after about one and a half hours of effort. No casualties were reported. However, the exact extent of the damage could not be confirmed yet. Fire Service officials said details will be known after an investigation. The firefighters faced some more challenges as there was a cold storage facility, making it difficult to enter. The intense cold environment and existence gas hampered firefighting efforts to some extent, said Jashim Uddin. Factory manager Neamat Ullah said the extent of damage would be assessed after the fire is fully extinguished.        

The International Crimes Tribunal-2 on Sunday asked the authorities concerned to produce former director general of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) Lt Gen (retd) Sheikh Mamun Khaled and  Lt Gen(retd) Masud Uddin Chowdhury before the tribunal on April 7 for their alleged involvement in crimes against humanity. ICT-2 Judge Nazrul Islam Chowdhury passed the order after hearing a petition filed by the prosecution on March 29. Chief Prosecutor Aminul Islam said the prosecution also sought issuance of a production warrant to ensure their appearance before the tribunal.  Detectives detained former Feni-3 lawmaker Lt Gen (retd) Masud Uddin Chowdhury from  Baridhara area of the capital on March 24 in connection with a case filed with Paltan Police Station on charge of human trafficking. Masud Uddin, a key figure during the army-backed caretaker government, was picked up from his residence at Baridhara DOHS. On March 26, detectives arrested former DG of Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) Lieutenant General (retd) Sheikh Mamun Khaled from the capital’s Mirpur area. Both of them were placed on several days of remand in separate cases.

A young man was  electrocuted allegedly while attempting to steal electric wires at a house at Kalabagan in the capital on Sunday. The identity of the deceased could not be known yet. He was later taken to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College (DMCH) Hospital around 8:00 am in an unconscious state where doctors declared him dead. Kalabagan police station Sub-Inspector (SI) Iqbal Hossain said the young man got entangled in live wires while trying to steal them. The house owner called the national emergency number 999 and police rushed to the scene to rescue him. The body has been sent to the morgue of DMCH for autopsy and legal proceedings are ongoing.

Rescue operations continued for the fifth consecutive day on Sunday after a passenger bus sank in the Padma River near the 3rd ferry ghat at Daulatdia in Gopalganj upazila of Rajbari. Members of various government agencies resumed search and recovery activities around 8:30am. On Saturday, the operations ran from morning until after sunset, during which the pontoon at the 3rd ghat was removed and the area was searched as part of final recovery attempts. Dewan Md. Sohel Rana, In-Charge of Rajbari Fire Service and Civil Defence, said personnel from the fire service, Bangladesh Navy, Coast Guard, and BIWTA are conducting the operations jointly. He could not confirm when the rescue efforts would conclude. Sathi Das, member-secretary of the five-member investigation committee formed by the district administration and Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Goalanda, said no new missing persons have been reported so far. However, following directives from higher authorities, the rescue operation will continue to avoid any doubts, and an official announcement will be made once it is completed.

A filling station manager was killed allegedly after being run over by a truck following a dispute over fuel in on Kalna–Jessore highway in Narail Sadar upazila early Sunday. The victim was identified as Nahid Sardar, 35, manager of Tanvir Filling Station and son of the late Akram Sardar of Peroli village under Tularampur union. His friend Jihadul Molla, 29, son of Zahurul Molla of the same area, was critically injured in the incident. According to employees of the filling station, a truck driver named Sujat arrived at the station late Saturday night seeking fuel. An argument broke out between him and manager Nahid Sardar over the issue of fuel supply. Witnesses said the driver angered after failing to get fuel threatened to run over the manager. CCTV footage shows that despite the altercation, the truck driver remained at the station. Around 2:10am, Nahid left the station on a motorcycle along with his colleague Jihadul after completing work. The truck was then seen chasing them at high speed before running them over. Jihadul was first taken to Narail district hospital and later shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in critical condition. Colleagues of the victim and locals alleged that the driver carried out a planned attack out of anger and demanded exemplary punishment. Officer-in-Charge of Tularampur Highway Police Station Sheikh Sekendar Ali said the body of Nahid Sardar has been sent to the district hospital morgue. Legal action is under process, he added.

A man died after being hit by a train on Sukan Dighi level crossing  in Kaliganj upazila of Lalmonirhat on Sunday morning. The deceased was Ayub Ali, 60, son of Monir Uddin of the area. Police and locals said the mentally unstable man lay down on the railway track near his home after waking up, when a train traveling from Burimari to Lalmonirhat struck him, leaving him dead on the spot. Locals later brought the body home. Pradip Kumar Sarkar, Officer-in-Charge of Lalmonirhat Railway Police Station, said a police team was  sent to the site after receiving reports of the accident.

A man who was seriously injured during a family dispute in Manda Upazila of Naogaon has died while undergoing treatment. Ashraful Islam Phulon, 35, died at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital on Saturday evening. He was a resident of Bankura village in Kashab Union of Manda Upazila and the son of Moyez Uddin Pramanik. The accused, Amjad Hossain Babu, 30, is his younger brother. Locals said the two brothers had been involved in a long-standing family dispute. As a result, a fight broke out between them on Saturday morning. At one point, the younger brother, Amjad, became enraged and attacked his elder brother, Ashraful, seriously injuring him. Locals rescued Ashraful and first took him to Manda Upazila Health Complex. As his condition deteriorated, he was transferred to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, where he died in the evening while undergoing treatment. Following the incident, a team from Manda Police Station, with the help of local people, conducted a raid and detained the accused Amjad, who was hiding in Bankura village. He was taken into custody at Manda Police Station. KM Masud Rana, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Manda Police Station, said that an autopsy of the deceased will be conducted at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. The body will later be handed over to his family members for burial. A murder case will be filed in this regard.

A housewife was killed and six others injured in Rangpur on Saturday when a live electric wire, torn off by strong winds, fell on their home. The deceased, Kajoli Begum, 50, was at her house in Bahar Kachna Ramgovind Bangitari area of the city when the accident occurred. She was the wife of local tea seller Saiful Islam. Police Officer Rafiqul Islam confirmed her death Saturday night. Local sources said heavy rain and strong winds hit Rangpur on Saturday afternoon. A meter wire from Saiful Islam’s house was torn by the wind and fell onto a tin roof, electrifying the home. Kajoli Begum was seriously shocked while touching a door in her room to offer prayers. Her husband Saiful, teenage daughter Sabrina, brother-in-law Hafizul Islam, sister-in-law Ratna Begum, and two neighbours were also injured while trying to rescue her. She was rushed to Rangpur Medical College Hospital, whebut died on the way. Youth killed by lightning in Rangpur Mostafizur Rahman, in-charge of Rangpur Meteorological Office, said the district recorded 54 millimeters of rainfall from Friday to Saturday evening. He warned that similar weather is expected to continue for the next few days.

The body of a mentally unstable man who had been reported missing was recovered from the Korai River near Rajarchar in Barishal Sadar on Saturday morning. The deceased was identified as Sabuj Hawladar, 60, son of the late Abdul Aziz Hawladar of Dakshin Durgapur village in Chandpura Union of Barishal Sadar. According to Officer-in-Charge (OC), Asim Kumar Sikdar, of Barishal Sadar Naval Police, said Sabuj went missing after leaving his home on Friday afternoon. Body of young man found with stab wounds in Kushtia Locals found his body floating in the river near Rajarchar around 6:00 am on Saturday and informed the police. The body was later recovered by Police. Preliminary examination found no visible marks of injury on the body. The body has been sent to Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital for autopsy. The OC added that the body will be handed over to the family after the autopsy.

Police on Saturday arrested six people, including a woman, for their involvement in the gang rape of another woman in Alamdanga upazila in Chuadanga. The victim was lured by the main planner, alleged to be the arrested woman Kabita, and taken to a mango grove at gunpoint, where the assault took place. Police Superintendent Mohammad Ruhul Kabir Khan provided details at a press briefing on Saturday. The incident occurred around 10:00 pm on March 25 near a mango grove in Khadimpur Beledari, Alamdanga. Suspect arrested over Sylhet teen rape case The arrested include Kabita, wife of Faisal from Satgari village; Mizan, Samad Ali, Adam, Shahjahan, and Abdus Salam from surrounding villages. According to the case filed under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act (case no. 34), Kabita befriended the victim and convinced her to travel to Chuadanga Bazar by e-rickshaw. There, Abdus Salam, Shahjahan, and Samad Ali, in coordination with Adam Ali and Mizan, took turns assaulting the victim in a mango grove while threatening her to stay silent. The victim was later returned to the bazar and reported the crime to her husband, who urged her to file a formal complaint on March 28. Following the complaint, Chuadanga police launched a rapid operation led by Additional SP Mostafizur Rahman, capturing all six suspects from their homes early Saturday morning. SP Ruhul Kabir Khan said, "This is an extremely heinous crime. Our rapid and continuous operation ensured the arrest of all involved within hours. The police are taking all legal measures to bring the perpetrators to justice. Chuadanga Police will maintain a zero-tolerance policy against such crimes."