United News of Bangladesh

Police arrested three youths for raping a woman in Rangabali upazila in Patuakhali on Thursday. The arrestees were identified as her brother-in-law Solaiman, 22, Bappy, 24,and Arif Khan, 23. Solaiman and Bappy were arrested from Galachipa upazila by Charshiba camp police in the early hours of Thursday while Arif was arrested from Vhar Nazir village by Rangabali station police. Also read: 2 death-row convicts to be executed for killing two women after rape On Wednesday night, the victim's father filed a case with the Rangabali police station against seven people including Arif Khan, as the main accused. According to the complaint, on Wednesday 10 am the victim left her in-laws' house at Charbishwash village for her father’s home in Char Beshtani village in Rangabali upazila with her brother-in-law Solaiman. Also read: Man gets 72-year sentence for rape and kidnap of minor in Joypurhat At the launch terminal in Char Agasti, Solaiman took her and boarded Arif Khan’s trawler where they later raped her consecutively near the Shaper Khal area around noon. Officer-in-Charge of Rangabali police station Jaglul Hasan said the three accused were produced before court and effort is on to arrest the others.

A lighter ship laden with imported steel scraps sunk in the Bay of Bengal off Patenga coast in Chattogram on Thursday. Th MV Titu-7 of Abul Khair Group sank around 12pm, said the crews of the ship. Thirteen crews on board the vessel were immediately rescued by another fishing boat nearby. The ship was heading toward Bangla Bazar ghat in Karanphuli River with imported steel scraps from the mother vessel standing at the outer anchorage, said Joint Secretary of Bangladesh Shipping Workers Federation Khorshed Alam. Read: Cargo ship with Padma Bridge construction materials sinks in Hatiya The exact reason for the accident couldn’t be identified yet, he said Vice president of Lighter Workers Union Nabi Alam said around noon bottom of the barge cracked and water started gushing inside. Chattogram port authority has been informed of the incident, he said. The port authority said vessel movement in the port channel has remained normal and no disruption happened due to the accident.

Police recovered the hanging body of a student of Begum Rokeya University Rangpur (BRUR) from his house on Thursday, pólice said suspecting it a case of suicide. Tanvir Alam Tushar, a Masters final year student of the university's Economics Department, was found dead around 3 pm at his home at Shahebganj área in the Rangpur city. On Tuesday at 2 am Tushar posted a status on social media that said, “I quit for forever.” Also read: 4 girls attempt suicide at Social Services Dept-run rehab centre Tushar’s family informed pólice after finding his hanging body in his room, said officer-in-charge of Haragach pólice station, Shawkat Ali Sarkar. "Primarily we are suspecting that during the Covid lockdown Tushar got involved in gambling through his mobile. Mental stress due to his loans might have led him to kill himself,`` said the OC quoting his family. Meanwhile Tushar’s family members refused to comment on this matter. Also read: Woman poisons daughter, commits suicide in Jashore According to their neighbours, recently Tushar had an argument with his father and family members. OC Shawkat said the body has been sent for an autopsy and investigation is on to find out the actual reason of the death. Assistant professor of BRUR Economics Department Belal Uddin said this news is hard to accept as Tuhin was a brilliant student with cheerful personality.

A Special Tribunal in Chattogram on Thursday sent former OC of Teknaf Police Station Pradeep Kumar Das to jail after rejecting his bail petition in a case over acquiring wealth illegally. Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge and Metropolitan Special Tribunal Judge Sheikh Ashfaqur Rahman passed the order. Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) lawyer Mahmudul Haque said they appealed for the publication of a gazette against Pradeep's wife Chumki Karon. The court will pass an order later in this regard. Earlier on September 1, the court accepted a chargesheet in the graft case against the sacked OC and his wife Chumki. Also read: Ex-OC Pradeep denied bail in ACC case ACC Chittagong Assistant Director Md Riaz Uddin submitted the chargesheet on July 26. However, Chumki has been absconding since Pradeep's arrest. ACC filed the case against sacked OC Pradeep, now in jail in Major (retd) Sinha murder case, and his wife for amassing wealth worth Tk 4 crore on August 23 in 2020. ACC sources said the anti-graft watchdog’s investigation against Pradeep started in 2018. On April 20 last year, Pradeep and his wife were asked to submit their wealth statement and they submitted their wealth statements in June that year. After a long investigation, the ACC found information that the couple acquired assets worth more than Tk 4 crore illegally. Sinha was killed in police firing at Baharchhara police check-post on July 31. His elder sister Sharmin Shahriar Ferdous filed a case at Teknaf Senior Judicial Magistrate Court on August 5. Also read: Sinha murder case: Pradeep, 14 others indicted Ex-OC Pradeep surrendered the following day.

Thousands of city dwellers faced immense sufferings as transport owners and workers in Chattogram went on a wildcat strike  on Thursday  protesting the arrest of five workers on charges of extortion. After a reality check at Muradpur, Oxygen, Tiger Pass, New Market, Bahaddarhat, Kaptai Road and Kalurghat areas of the port city, the UNB correspondent saw office goers,  students and commuters walking or taking rickshaws or CNG-run auto rickshaws for reaching their destinations. Read: 20-yr-old student dies after falling into open drain in Chattogram The alternative mode of transportations charged twice the regular fare, they alleged. Five transport workers were arrested by the Rab from Alangkar corner of the city on Wednesday on the charge of extortion. Their names are Azad, Ahid, Arif Hossain, Narayan Dey and Siddique Hossain. In response, several transport owners' organizations called a strike from 6am to 6pm on Thursday. All types of buses, minibuses and human haulers were under the jurisdiction of the strike. When contacted, Oli Ahmed, general secretary of Bangladesh Paribahan Sramik Federation (Chattogram Region) said that transported workers refused to wok on Thursday over wrongful arrests of their co-workers. Read:14 held with drugs worth Tk 12cr in Chattogram “We have called a meeting on Thursday evening. Details on the issue will be informed after that,” he added. In this regard, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Urban Traffic South Zone NM Nasiruddin said, "I have heard about a strike. However, I did not receive any official statements in this regard.” Some public transports are still available on the road, he added.

What goes into a day in the life of a mayor? Seventeen-year-old Boishakhi Jhan got the opportunity to find that out for herself on Tuesday when she served as the mayor of Rangpur City Corporation for a day. And that was possible due to child rights NGO Plan International Bangladesh that had approached Rangpur city mayor Mostafizur Rahman Mostafa, presenting before him Boishakhi's wish ahead of the International Day of Girl Child on October 11. Read: Cop killed by ‘drug addict’ in Rangpur The initiative was actually part of the NGO's 'Worldwide girl’s takeover campaign’ that aims to encourage teens and young women to nurture a dream of becoming ambitious, Plan International said. On Tuesday, Boishakhi, a resident of Nilphamari district, was greeted by the mayor, the councillors and the civic body staff with flowers as soon as she entered the corporation premises. Later, she got a crash course on the daily routine of the mayor from Mostafizur before finally assuming charge. During the day, she held meetings with the councillors and the staff and took some token decisions. “Symbolically playing the role of the mayor has created a new dream in my life. I got to know about the different divisions of the city corporation and how they work for the welfare of the citizens," said Boishakhi, who stopped five child marriages in her area and taught 20 school dropouts during Covid-19. Read:Child rape and murder case accused arrested in Rangpur Mostafizur also lauded the initiative. "Girls should not refrain from taking up leadership and challenging positions. Leadership, wisdom and patience can make any person achieve success,” he said. Plan International initiates and implements the belief that girls can change their own lives, the society around them if they get equal opportunities and equality, the NGO said.

A 45-year-old man was stabbed to death allegedly by his nephew over an old enmity in Pirojpur district town on Wednesday night. The deceased was identified as Ziaul Haque Dipu, son of Jalil Uddin Khan of the Madhyarasta area of the district town. Read: 3 killed by lightning strike in Jamalpur AM Nuruzzaman, officer-in-charge of Sadar police station, said Dipu's nephew Mamun and four others stabbed him in front of the Zila Parishad office around 11.30 pm when he was returning home. A seriously injured Mamun was rushed to a local hospital by passersby, where he was declared dead on arrival. Read:‘Drug peddler’ killed in Cox’s Bazar ‘gunfight’ Earlier, Mamun had threatened Dipu of dire consequences, the victim's family members told police. Police have sent the body to the local hospital morgue for an autopsy.

A 25-year-old man and his girlfriend were found dead in his house at Satanipara in Kaliganj upazila on Wednesday night. The deceased were identified as Hridoy Gomez, an NGO worker, and Evana Rozario, 22, of Bandakhola village. The woman was a nursing student. Read: Ex-DU prof dies as train rams car in Gazipur Police suspect Hridoy killed Evana over some issue and then stabbed himself to death. The two were in a relationship for a long period of time. On Wednesday, Evana went to Hridoy's at his invitation, said Saiful Islam, sub-inspector at Kaliganj police station. He was alone at the time as other family members had gone out. When Hridoy’s mother returned home after a while, she found the door and windows of the house locked from inside. She also heard loud music from inside, police said. Getting no response from inside for long, she along with local people peeped through the window of the house and found the duo lying in a pool of blood. Read: Child crushed under truck in Gazipur On information, police rushed to the spot and sent the bodies to the local hospital morgue. Evana's body bore several injury marks, cops said. "A probe has been ordered into the deaths," the officer said.

A Khulna court sentenced a man to death for killing his wife in 2019. The condemned convict is Mahmud Alam, a police constable of Khulna Shiromoni Armed Police Battalion and son of Jabed Ali of Jamalnagar village in Ashashuni upazila in Satkhira district. Read: 2 get death penalty for killing college student in Barishal Public Safety Disturbance Crime Prevention Tribunal of Khulna Judge Md Saifuzzaman handed down the verdict. According to the prosecution, Zohana Akter Usha, wife of Mahmud  in Khan Jahan area of Khulna, was strangulated to death by her husband over family feud on April 6, 2019. Sohel Islam, victim’s brother, lodged a complaint with Khan Zahan Ali Police Station. Read: HC upholds death penalty in mother-daughter murder in Ctg On August 15, 2019, police submitted a chagesheet against Mahmud in the case. After examining the records and witnesses, the tribunal handed down the verdict.

A fire broke out at Terokhada Sadar market in Khulna on Tuesday night. The fire started around 8pm and gutted about 10-15 shops and warehouses. Read: Fire breaks out at Peninsula Chittagong Being informed, a fire tender of Rupsha Sener Bazar Fire Service rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control after an hour. Nur Islam of Rupsha Sener Bazar Fire Service, said the fire broke out at a shop belonging to Sudhir Saha, a grocer in the market, while he was melting pitch. Read: Angry ride-sharing biker sets bike on fire in Dhaka The owners of the gutted shops have claimed that their losses amount to Tk 2 crore.