United News of Bangladesh

A 15-year-old Rohingya girl was held at Chattogram passport office while applying for a Bangladeshi passport with a fake identity. Juraira Bibi, daughter of Mostaq Ahmed, was caught after her fingerprint was scanned. She was detained by the officials of Mansurabad Passport Office on Monday afternoon and later handed over to Double Mooring Police Station. Also Read: 2 Rohingyas nabbed by APBn in Ukhia Confirming the matter, Assistant Director of Chattogram Divisional Passport and Visa Office Mahmudul Haque said, the Rohingya girl submitted her passport application in the name of Zobaida Khanam showing the address of Salimpur in Sitakunda. Officers there doubted her identity. Later, her fingerprints showed that she was Juraira Bibi and registered as a resident of the Rohingya camp, he said.    

Police arrested a man for trying to rape a nine-year-old girl whom he tutored at her home in Parshuram upazila of Feni. The arrestee was identified as Md Afaz Uddin, 24, imam of a local mosque and son of Abu Bakkar from Mirzanagr union. On Sunday evening, Afaz went to the victim’s house to teach her Arabic like every day and tried to rape her when her mother went out of sight, said Saiful Islam, Officer-in-Charge of Parshuram police station. Hearing the girl’s cries her mother rushed to the room and caught him during the crime. Also Read: Father, son held with firearms in Benapole The girl’s mother called national emergency service number 999 with the help of neighbors and police members from Parshuram police station detained the accused. Later a case was filed at Parshuram police station under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act following a complaint from the victim’s mother, said the OC. On Monday, the accused was sent to jail after police produced him before court. The victim’s statement has been recorded by Feni Senior Judicial Magistrate Fatema Tuj Johra, said the OC.  

People are waiting to return to their homes as the flood situation gradually improved in Sunamganj with the water level receding. The local Water Development Board said Surma was flowing at 7.55cm at Sholghar point on Monday morning where the danger level is at 7.25cm. Residents of several upazilas in the district have been hit hard by the flood that inundated cropland, roads, and houses and disrupted normal life. Also read: Over 1.5mn children at risk as devastating floods hit north-eastern Bangladesh: UNICEF The local Met office has recorded 11 mm of rain in the last 24 hours. Shafiqul Islam, relief and rehabilitation officer of the district, said so far 165 metric tons of rice and Tk 12 lakh have been distributed among the flood-affected people in different upazilas. Locals said that the fish from 1,250 ponds have been washed away this year. The fish farmers have suffered a loss of Tk 3.5 crore. Besides, 11,000 hectares of Boro crops and about 400 km of roads have been damaged while hundreds of homes were destroyed. Sunamanjera Deputy Commissioner Jahangir Hossain said the water has started receding and the victims are getting relief. Also read: Flash Flood in Sylhet: Tk 2,173 crore losses in fishery resources "The extent of damages will be ascertained later and relief assistance will be provided after preparing a list of victims,” he said. Though the water level in Jagannathpur, Derai and Sullah upazilas is rising, the local administration is ready to face it, the officer added.

Due to untimely pre-monsoon showers crops in some 412 hectares of land were damaged in Kurigram according to the Department of Agricultural Extension. Due to incessant rain in the last two months 265 hectares of Boro paddy, 95 hectares of Jute, 20 hectares of peanut, 12 hectares of vegetables,10 hectares of sesame,, five hectares of quinoa, and five hectares of radhuni horse (spice) were ruined. “ As the sun did not come out, 30 maund of paddy I harvested started to rot. The wholesalers are not ready to buy these paddies even at tk 600 per maund,” said Suman, a well-off farmer from Shialkanda village in Nageshwari upazila. Also read: Croplands inundated in Faridpur as major rivers swell Agriculturist Abdur Rashid, Deputy Director of DAE said, “We have got the primary estimation of the damages which shows 60 per cent of the crops got damaged. But we can estimate the amount of loss later.” He said so far 84 percent of Boro crops in the district have been collected. “The farmers are struggling a bit due to lack of sun otherwise the production met the expectations.” Md Abdur Sabur, assistant director of Rajarhat weather observatory center said “Due to climate change and easterly wind pressure this year 990 mm of rainfall has been recorded already in April and May this year in the district.” Also read: Sunamganj farmers fear crops loss as floodwater enters haors He said, “The rain showers will persist till June . Already 512 mm of rainfall has been recorded until Monday in this month. Due to excessive rains croplands of low-lying areas in the district are being inundated.”

Some 15 people were injured with five suffering bullet injuries on Monday during a clash between two groups of Awami League supporters over gaining the upper hand in ten villages of Mollakandi Union Parishad in Munshiganj sadar upazila. The injured with bullet shots were identified as Sirajul Bepari, 65, of Munshikandi village, Hanif Molla, 38, and Kamal Hossain, 28, of Kangshapura village, Motin Dhali, 30, of Chardumuria village, and Mohammad Hossain,16, of Rajarchar village. “Of them Sirajul and Hanif have been sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for better treatment while others were admitted to Munshiganj General Hospital. Other injured are also being treated at different hospitals in the upazila," said Abu Bakkar Siddique, officer-in-Charge of Munshiganj Sadar police station. Also read: BCL activists clash with villagers near CU campus The clash spread over the villages of Maheshpur, East Makhati, Maddhyam Makhati, Rajarchar, Chardumuria, Chaitar Char Amghata, Munshikandi and Beherkandi on Monday, said police. The clash started over an election related feud between the supporters of Mohsina Haque Kalpana, former chairman and Women Affairs Secretary of upazila Awami League and Ripan Patwary, present chairman and joint Secretary of upazila AL. Mohsina Haque Kalpana said it was a preplanned attack by Ripon’s group on her supporters with guns, cocktails and sticks. “They attacked to ensure one-sided voting in the upcoming election of Makhati GC High School’s managing committee.” Also read: 20 injured in Magura clash However, Ripon Patwary denied the allegation saying it was Mohsina’s supporters who were involved in the aggression. OC Abu Bakkar Siddique said, “The clash started after Ripon’s supporters attacked. At least five houses were vandalized during the clash; later police took control of the situation. Additional police troops have been deployed in the area.”

A Dinajpur court on Monday sentenced three persons to death and four others to life imprisonment for killing a 24-year-old grocery shop owner in 2009. The condemned convicts are—Rezaul Karim Babu, Sharifur Islam and Atoar Rahman. The lifers are—Golam Rabbani, Ekramul, Shahed Ali and Jahangir Alam. Also read: Triple murder in Kushtia: 3 sentenced to jail unto death Dinajpur Additional District and Session Judge Mehedi Hasan Mandal handed down the punishment in presence of all the convicts. According to the prosecution, the convicts killed Humayun Kabir, son of Shahidul Islam of Phulbari upazila on August 20, 2009 over land dispute. On August 21, 2009, Humayun;s family lodged a complaint with Phulbari Police. Also read: Sherpur youth sentenced to life imprisonment in rape case Of the convicts, Rezaul gave confessional statements admitting his guilt before the court.

Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) arrested a man and his son along with arms from Sadipur border of Benapole in Jeshore distrct the early hours of Monday. The arrestees were Md. Shah Jamal Kalu, 55 and his son Sohel Rana, 30 of Sadipur village, said BGB. READ: Man held for assaulting girl wearing western attire at Narsingdi rail station Tipped off, a team of BGB-49 raided the house of Shah Jamal Monday midnight and arrested them along with five pistols, 5 rounds of bullets and 4 mobile phone sets, said a BGB press release. A case was filed against the arrestees at Benapole port police station under the Arms Act.

A fire broke out in the factory of a pharmaceutical company in Kaliakoir upazila in Gazipur Monday noon. The fire started in a factory of Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd around 12pm, said Saiful Islam, station officer of Kaliakoir Fire Service. Read: Fire at Ctg poultry feed godown under control Five firefighting units are trying to bring the blaze under control, he added.

A 36-year-old Air Force member was killed as an unidentified vehicle hit a covered van carrying him in Shibrampur area of Faridpur Sadar upazila in the early hours of Monday, police said. The deceased was identified as Mohammad Abul Bashar , hailing from Kakra village of Asashuni upazila of Satkhira district. He worked as a sergeant of the Air Force. Read: 2 killed in bus-truck collision in Netrakona The accident occurred on Dhaka-Khulna highway around 4 am as the covered van collided with an unidentified vehicle, leaving sergeant Bashar dead on the spot, said Kankon Kumar Biswas, officer-in-charge of Karimpur Highway Police Station. Family sources said Bashar was bringing household goods from Dhaka in the covered van. Read: Missing teen’s body retrieved from Karnaphuli Police recovered the body and sent it to Faridpur Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy. The covered van was seized.    

Naval police recovered the body of a 17-year old boy from the Karnaphuli river in Fishery Ghat area of Chattogram on Monday, a day after he went missing following a boat capsize in the river. Locals spotted the body of Md Shohag, son of Md Karim from Cumilla, in the river in Fishery Ghat area around 7am, said ABM Mizanur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Sadarghat Naval police station. Read: 2 killed in bus-truck collision in Netrakona On information, naval police fished out the body, he said. On Saturday night, Sohag went missing as the boat sank following a collision with an anchored trawler named FV Pertex-1 while crossing the river from Marine Fisheries Terminal. Other passengers of the boat managed to swim ashore.