United News of Bangladesh

A fire broke out at a kitchen market in Halishahar of Chattogram metropolis Tuesday morning. The fire started around 8am and gutted several shops within an hour. Fortunately, no casualties were reported. Upon information, two fire tenders were pressed into service but it took them nearly two hours to bring the blaze under control, a fire officer said. Read:5 die in Dhaka shoe factory fire Newton Das, deputy assistant director of the Chattogram Fire Service, said, "Efforts are still on to completely douse the flames." The actual amount of losses or the origin of the fire couldn’t be known immediately. An investigation is underway, he added.

Two persons were killed and two others injured in a collision between a CNG-run auto-rickshaw and a truck on the busy Jamalpur-Dhaka highway in Narikeli early on Tuesday. The deceased were identified as Mintu Mia, 28, son of Shahjahan Ali of Chontia village in Jamalpur Sadar upazila, and Abul Kalam Azad, 45, son of Usman Gani of Munsinangla village in Melandah upazila. Read: 3 killed in Nilphamari road crash Eye-witnesses said the accident occurred around 5am when the Jamalpur-bound truck travelling at a high speed hit the auto-rickshaw on the highway in Narikeli in Jamalpur Sadar upazila, after its driver lost control of the heavy vehicle. The impact of the crash was such that it left the four occupants of the auto-rickshaw injured, two of them fatally. The two injured, including the auto driver, have been admitted to Jamalpur Sadar Hospital. Read: 4 killed in Cumilla road crashes Jamalpur Sadar Police Station SI Harun Aur Rashid said the bodies were sent to the Jamalpur Sadar Hospital morgue for post-mortem. "Efforts are on to track down the killer truck and its driver," he added.

A candidate for the post of member in the union parishad (UP) polls in Cox's Bazar was shot Monday night. Wounded Rezaur Rahman, a member candidate for Ward No.3 of Cox's Bazar Sadar upazila's Pmkhali union, was admitted to Sadar Hospital. Rezaur was discussing the election with 10-12 people outside a tea stall at Bottoli Station in the Totok Khali area of Pmkhali union, when the assailants arrived on the scene riding a motorcycle and left after opening fire at him, said police. Although Rezaur blamed the shooting on a rival candidate, he did not specify who it was. An uptick in violence centring the November 11 UP polls has been a worrying trend in the build-up. On Friday, two brothers, both Awami League leaders, were shot in Cox's Bazar's Jhilangja union. Kudrat Ullah Sikder, Awami League leader and member candidate for Ward No. 3 of the union, and his brother Jahirul Islam, Sramik League president of the district, were shot at 10pm. The brothers were first rushed to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital and then moved to Chittagong Medical College. Jahirul died at the hospital Sunday, while Kudrat is still in critical condition.

Customs intelligence officials seized 6.148 Kg gold worth Tk 3.5 crore from a passenger coming from Dubai at Sylhet Osmani International airport on Monday. The officials have recovered 38 bars and a disc of gold from Parendranath Dash, a resident of Nazirabad area in Moulvibazar sadar up[azila. Also read: 12 kg gold bars seized at Dhaka airport The airport authority said they found Biman’s BG-248 flight’s passenger Paresh’s movement at the airport suspicious and interrogated him. At one point he confessed to carrying gold which was recovered from inside a juicer blender in his luggage. Deputy Commissioner of airport’s customs Mohammad Al Amin said Paresh is currently under the custody of the authority and they are investigating how he got the gold. Also read: Man held with 8 gold bars in Hili Meanwhile, Parendranath said an anonymous person has handed him the blender.

The committee formed by the High Court to manage, control and asses the liabilities of controversial e-commerce platform Evaly has sealed off its four wearhouses at Savar on Monday. The five-membered committee led by former Appellate Division justice Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik visited two warehouses at Aminbazar and two others at Baliarpur Monday noon. The committed found some beverages, television sets and packed electronic products in one of the warehouses. Also read: HC bans sale-transfer of Evaly’s property

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) in a drive on Monday unearthed an ‘arms making factory’ and arrested three Rohingyas from near a Rohingya camp in Ukhia upazila of Cox’s Bazar.  Ten firearms and a huge quantity of arms making equipment were seized during the drive conducted on a hill adjacent to Extension-4 Rohingya camp in the early morning, said Rab-15 commander Lt Col Khairul Islam. Read:Alleged ARSA leader found dead at Rohingya camp The arrestees are Md Baitullah, 19, his brother Habib Ullah of Kutupalong camp C-1 and Mohammd Hasun,24 of G block of the camp.

At least 15 people were injured, including three with bullet, in separate clashes Manikhat and Hatkhali unions in Sujanagar upazila of Pabna district  on Sunday night ahead of the union parishad elections. Those who sustained bullet injuries were identified as Motaleb, 37, son of Milon Khan, Sagar, 35, son of Abdul Majid and Fazlu, 55, son of late Abdur Rahman Khan of Bonkola village. Read: Juba League leader shot while campaigning in Pirojpur A clash broke out between the supporters of Awami League-backed and independent candidates in Manikhat union around 8:30 pm. Another clash broke out around 11:30 pm at Swagata Bazar in Hatkhali Union. Awami League-backed candidate for the post of chairman of Manikhat UP Shafiul Islam said supporters of independent candidate Abbas Ali Mallik vandalized one of our election offices and set it on fire. “When the news spread, the supporters of the AL brought out a procession towards the Bonkola bazar when the people of a rival candidate opened fire at us, leaving 10 of our activists injured,” he alleged. The injured were sent to Pabna General Hospital. However, critically injured Motaleb was shifted to Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital.

A Juba League leader sustained a bullet wound in an attack by rivals while campaigning ahead of union parishad election in Shankar Pasha union of Sadar upazila in Pirojpur on Sunday night. Faisal Mahbub Shuvo, general secretary of Municipal Juba League in the area, was injured with several others in the attack. Advocate Akhtaruzzaman Manik, organizing secretary of Pirojpur district Juba League, said the incident occurred on the way back from Mallikbari area of Shankar Pasha union in Pirojpur Sadar upazila around 8pm on Sunday.  Read: 2 candidates shot in Cox's Bazar ahead of UP polls Manik blamed the supporters of rival candidate Nasir Hossain Matubbar for opening fire and attacking them. At the time, Faisal sustained a bullet wound and Hasan Sikder, vice-president of Sadar Secha Sebok League, was hit on the head. All the injured were sent to Pirojpur Zila Hospital. However, critically injured Faisal and Hasan were then shifted to Khulna Medical College and Hospital for better treatment. Pirojpur Additional Superintendent of Police Mollah Azad Hossain said police was deployed in the area following the violence.

A devastating fire at India’s Petrapole land port has burnt 12 trucks waiting in a parking lot to enter Bangladesh’s Benapole land port with imported cotton. The fire broke out in the early hours of Sunday at Jayantipur Luxmi truck parking lot and quickly engulfed trucks parked there. However, no casualties have been reported. Read: 10 dead in India Covid hospital fire Kartik Chakraborty, general secretary of the Petrapole Port Staff Welfare Association of India, said a truck with cotton waiting to be exported to Bangladesh caught fire in the Jayantipur Lakshi truck parking lot near Petrapole port this morning. Later, fire broke out in 11 other cotton trucks nearby and they were also burnt down. The other cotton loaded trucks managed to move elsewhere, he said On information, members of the fire service arrived from Banga and Gobradanga and doused the fire at around 5 am after hours of effort. Sajedur Rahman, general secretary of the Benapole Port CNDF Agents Staff Association, said, "I have heard from traders on the other side that a fire broke out in 12 cotton loaded trucks to be imported to Bangladesh." Shri Rakesh Kumar, Deputy Director of Petrapole Port said Rs 8 crore worth of cotton was damaged in the fire. A five-member committee has been formed to probe the incident.

A SSC examinee was on Sunday hacked to death in an attack by unknown assailants shortly after he attended a farewell reception by his school  at Gulshanpara of Chuadanga town, police said.  The motive behind murdering Tonmoy Topu, 17, a student of Al-helal Secondary Islami Academy, could not be immediately known. Also Read: 2 ‘criminals’ killed in Moulvibazar ‘gunfight’  According to witnesses the assailants attacked the boy with a sharp weapon when his classmates left the school after the reception. They left him lying on the school ground with severe injuries.  Locals rushed him to Chuadanga Sadar Hospital where the duty doctor declared him dead.  Officer-in-Charge of Chuadanga Sadar police station Mohammad Mohsin said police are hunting the attackers. Also Read: Man kills wife, attempts suicide in Ctg