United News of Bangladesh

A 40kg touchstone idol of Hindu deity Vishnu, worth over Tk 20 crore, has been recovered in Naogaon, police said on Tuesday. Two men have been detained for allegedly smuggling the idol into Bangladesh -- Helal Uddin, 60, a resident of Modhuil village, and Altaf Hossain, a 50-year-old resident of Akbarpur village. Read:3 touchstone idols recovered in Thakurgaon Acting on a tip off, police raided the house of Kausar Ali in the Lodipur (south) area of the district's Khelna union on Monday night and recovered the stolen idol, said Md Mozammel Haque Kazi, officer-in-charge of Dhamraihat police station. "The kingpins of the smuggling gang -- Kausar Ali, 30, and his wife Sumi Khatun, 28 -- however, managed to flee. A case has been filed against the detainees and the absconding accused at Dhamraihat police station under the Special Power Act, said OC Mozammel.

The body of a 10-year-old student was found stuffed in a sack at a madrasa in the Panchlaish area of Chattogram city on Tuesday morning. The deceased was identified as Md Arman, son of Ali Abbas of the area. He was a student at Ali Bin Abi Talib Madrasa. Read:7-yr-old boy found dead in Ctg orphanage Police recovered Arman's body from the premises of the madrasa around 11am. One of his hands was broken and the body bore many injury marks, said inspector Sadekur Rahman of Panchlaish Model Police Station. Mokhlesur Rahman, deputy commissioner of Chattogram Metropolitan Police, said that Arman might have died after falling from the roof. “We will investigate the matter.” The body was sent to the Chattogram Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) morgue for an autopsy, said the inspector. Read:Madrasa teacher lands in jail for raping 2 students in Panchagarh Earlier on Saturday, police recovered the body of another madrasa student, Iftekhar Malekul Mashfi, from Allama Shah Ashiar Rahman Hefzkhana and Orphanage in Charandwip of Boalkhali upazila of the city.  A madrasa teacher, Abu Jafar, was held in connection with the recovery of the body.

A Bangladeshi national has been detained with seven gold bars and 1,000 cigarettes worth TK 52 lakh at Chattogram Shah Amanat International Airport, Customs officials said on Tuesday. The detainee has been identified as Mohammad Arman Uddin, a UAE returnee. Arman's flight from the UAE landed at the Chattogram airport on Monday night. Also read: BGB nabs smuggler with 7 gold bars in Rajshahi "As he was passing through the green channel, Customs officials on duty became suspicious and frisked him only to seize the gold bars and the foreign fags," said AKM Sultan Mahmud, deputy director of Customs intelligence and investigation department. A case will be filed in this regard and the detainee will be handed over to the police for further action, said Mahmud. Also read: 2 held with gold bars worth Tk 2.5 cr at Benapole

A 24-year-old housewife preparing for the Bangladesh Civil Service exams allegedly ended her life in her house in Barishal city on Monday. The deceased was identified as Sadia Aktar Sathi, wife of Mainul Islam of Boidyapara in Barishal city. Sadia’s body was discovered by police who broke open the door of the house around 1pm on Monday after being alerted by her neighbours. Also read: Tenth grader ‘kills self’ in Chandpur "We alerted the police after getting no response, despite repeated knocks on her door," one of Sadia's neighbours told UNB. "Half an hour ago, her eight-year-old girl child returned home from school." Rezaul Islam, a sub-inspector at Kotwali Model Police Station, said she was found hanging from the ceiling of the house when they broke open the door. "On the wall in front of Sadia's reading table, it was written 'I have to crack the BCS exams'." The reason behind the suicide will be ascertained only after a probe, he said, adding that no complaint was received from the family in connection with her death. Also read: Rohingya father ‘kills self’ after ‘poisoning’ 3 kids in Cox’s Bazar; 1 child dies The body was sent to the Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and Hospital (SBMCH) morgue for an autopsy, SI Rezaul said.

A fish trader was hacked to death by assailants in Khulna's Paikgacha upazila on Monday night, police said on Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Sukhendra Nath Sardar, 35, son of Gosto Bihari Sardar, a resident of the Kharia Varengar Chawk area of the upazila. According to locals, Sukhendra was attacked by the assailants with sharp weapons around 10pm when he was on his way to his fish farm. Read: Autorickshaw driver hacked dead in Ctg Passersby rushed a seriously injured Sukhendra to the upazila health complex, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. Md Ziaur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Paikgacha police station, said the fish tradr’s body was sent for an autopsy. "Efforts are on to identify and nab the perpetrators of the crime," he said.

Members of rapid Action Battalion (RAb) arrested two men on Sunday night in a case filed over raping a 15-year old girl after abduction in Gazipur. The arrestees are Harun Ur Rashid, 28, and Shipon, 32, said Major SM Maidul Islam, company Commander of Rab-1. Also read: Daughter, contract killer arrested for murder of mother in Gazipur The accused were arrested from Sonatala Bazar area in Kaliakair upazila during a drive, he said. On March 1, the accused abducted the victim from in front of her house in Sonatala village under Kaliakair police station in Gazipur and raped her several times. On March 4, the victim was rescued by locals and taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital after her condition deteriorated. Rab Porabari camp started a shadow investigation to arrest the accused after the victim's sister filed a case in this regard at Kaliakair police station under Women and Children Repression Prevention Act. Also read: 4 arrested over killing of teenager in Cox’s Bazar “In primary interrogation the accused confessed to abducting the girl and raping her keeping hostage at a cotton godown owned by Anwar Hossain at Sonatala area”, said Major SM Maidul Islam.

A youth was stabbed to death over a trifling matter at Harijan Palli near the old railway station in Kurigram town on Monday morning. The deceased was identified as Rahul Bashphor, 18, son of Pradeep Bashphor of Kacharibazar area in Gaibandha. Read: Teenager stabbed dead in N’ganj Quoting locals, Kurigram Sadar police station Officer-in-Charge Khan Shahriar, said the wedding party of Roni Bashphor, son of Swapan Bashphor of Kacharipara area of Gaibandha district, and Antra Rani (18) Bashphor, daughter of Sumon Harijan was going on at Harijan Palli. The bride and the bridegroom sides locked into an altercation around 8:30 am. At one stage of altercation, Rahul Bashphor was hacked by one of the men of the bride party, leaving him critically injured. Read: Woman dies after being stabbed, set on fire ‘by son’ in Laxmipur Later, he was rushed to Kurigram General Hospital where doctors declared him dead.  At least 4 people were injured during the clash, he said.  No case has been filed yet in this regard, the OC added.

A woman and her son were killed when a pickup van hit them in Chunakhali culvert area on Amtoli-Patuakhali regional highway in Barguna district on Monday morning. The deceased were identified as Nurjahan Begum, 40, her son Md Rakib, 16, of West Chunakhali village in Kukua union of Amtoli upazila. Read: Father-son killed in Hajiganj road crash Confirming the matter, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Amtoli police station AKM Mizanur Rahman said Nurjahan and her son were going to their relative’s house around 7:45am and when they reached Chunakhali culvert area a pick-up van hit them, killing  both on the spot. On information, police rushed to the spot and seized the pickup van, the OC added. Read: Kushtia road crash claims two lives However, the driver and his helper managed to flee. Legal action will be taken in this regard, he said.

Another Batagur Baska, a rare species of river turtle, has laid 34 eggs at Wildlife Breeding Centre in Karamjal in the Sundarbans. The tortoise laid these eggs on the bank of the pond of the breeding center on Saturday night. The Forest Department is trying to hatch the babies naturally by keeping the eggs covered with sand, said Azad Kabir, in-charge of the centre. Read: Sundarbans tourism to cost more as authorities move to boost revenue income The eggs are kept in a specific temperature and humidity in the breeding center area and are constantly monitored. The forest department said the eggs are expected to hatch after 65-67 days. Batagur Baska is one of the most critically endangered turtles in the world and can only be found in the wild in the mangroves of Bangladesh and India. In 2017, two turtles of the same species laid 63 eggs, of which 57 hatched. In 2018, two turtles laid 46 eggs, of which 26 hatched. In 2019, one turtle laid 32 eggs and all of them hatched, while in 2020, two turtles laid 56 eggs of which 52 hatched. Till 2021, 241 tortoises have hatched from these eggs. Research on this rare species of tortoise is underway in the Sundarbans. According to Azad Kabir, two tortoises fitted with GPS transmitter satellites were released from Karamjal in 2017, five each in 2018 and 2019 in different rivers and canals of the Sundarbans to get information about the life cycle, reproduction and numbering of endangered Batagur Baska tortoises. Of the 12 turtles with satellites, one died in Barisal in 2018, two were roaming in India, and two were caught in the nets of fishermen after roaming different rivers and canals. Read: Tiger recovered from Sundarbans canal most likely died of natural causes Later, the two turtles were rescued from the fishermen and kept in the pond of Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Center. They do not know the current location of the remaining of the turtles fitted with satellites. In 2014, this turtle breeding center was set up in the pond of Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Center in the Sundarbans with 11 male and four female tortoises of Batagur Baska species. Later, a few more baby turtles were collected from different areas and released in the pond.

A eight-year-old mentally retarded girl has been passing an inhuman life with her hands and legs tied up with rope at Dashal in Durgapur upazila of Netrakona district. The parents of the ill-fated girl find no other alternative as they can't afford proper treatment, said locals. Brishti, daughter of a day labourer Shahjahan Mia of Dashal village, spends her time in the veranda of their house during the day, while inside her house at night. Read:Mentally challenged man charred to death in Chattogram According to her family, Brishti was born on June 6, 2014 and they noticed her abnormal behavior when she was one year old. Her parents tied her up round the clock as Brishti tried to hit her head herself and bite her hands when untie her. She also attempts to beat others and leaves home if she is kept free, said her father. Her parents also urged the rich people to help them for her treatment. Talking to UNB Ayesha Khatun, mother of Brishti, said “I have been going through tremendous suffering as I have to stay awake at night with her.” Read: ‘Mentally ill’ Thakurgaon man in shackles for 20 years Shahjahan Mia, father of Brishti, said “I am living in a small corrugated tin-shed house with my family and working as a mason. It is so difficult for me to maintain all expenses of my family. It is difficult for me to take my child to Dhaka for better treatment due to the financial crisis.” Resident Medical Officer of Durgapur Upazila Health Complex, Tanzirul Islam Raihan, said, “I have visited the house of the child and it is not possible to give her proper treatment with the limited medical facilities at the hospital. She needs better treatment in Dhaka.”