United News of Bangladesh

Joint forces have arrested Chandpur upazila Awami League's former organising secretary, in connection with the murder of Azad Sarkar in Chandpur's Hajiganj upazila during the July-August uprising. He was arrested in a joint operation in Dhaka on Wednesday night, said Mohammad Mohiuddin Faruk, officer-in-charge of Hajiganj Police Station on Thursday. According to the case details, on August 4 of the previous year, Azad Sarkar, the father of Chhatra Dal leader Himel Sarker, was attacked by Awami League activists in front of his home. He was later hospitalised in Cumilla but succumbed to his injuries that same night. A murder case was filed on August 14 last year by Sarkar’s family at Hajiganj Police Station. The case named 15 individuals as accused and included an additional 20 to 25 unnamed suspects.OC Faruk told UNB that Jasim Uddin is being transported to Hajiganj Police Station and will be produced before the court. He also said efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining accused in the case.

Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) has summoned detailed information, including loans and deposits of Shomi Kaiser, former president of the E-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB). A BFIU letter has sought all information by Sunday. The letter in this regard was sent to banks on Thursday. The BFIU letter said that if there is information on Shomi Kaiser's loan sanction letter, locker account, it be sent quickly. ACC sues ex-MP Nixon, wife It has also asked to provide all types of account statements operated in her name, account opening forms, KYC profiles, and all transaction details. The letter mentioned Kaiser’s New Eskaton and Gulshan home addresses in Dhaka. The ICT Ministry gave a grant of Tk 100 crore to e-CAB for the development of the e-commerce sector. Of this, there is an allegation that Tk 15 crore was given in the name of Dhansiri Communication, owned by Shomi Kaiser. Five arrested with large quantity of illegal polythene in Dhaka However, the specific reason for seeking such information on its loans, import-export, and business accounts from the BFIU is not known.  

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed cases against former lawmaker from the Faridpur-4 constituency, Mujibur Rahman Chowdhury, alias Nixon Chowdhury and his wife on charges of corruption. Illegal wealth: ACC to start probe against journalist Naimul Islam Khan, family The anti-corruption watchdog lodged two cases against them, ACC Director General Akhtar Hossain (Prevention) told reporters at the commission’s office in the capital’s Segunbagicha on Thursday. They are accused of being involved in suspicious transactions totaling Tk 3,162 crore and acquiring illegal wealth amounting to Tk 19.29 crore, he added.

Bangshal police arrested five people with a large quantity of banned polythene and a pickup truck in front of Asian Palace on Abul Hasnat Road in the capital's Bangshal area. The arrestees were identified as Anam Fakhrul Islam (50), Md Habibur Rahman (26), Enamul Haque (28), Md Azizul Islam (35), and Md Zakir Sardar (32). Acting on a tip-off, a team of Bangshal police station set up a checkpoint in the area on Wednesday evening. Around 6:35 pm, a pickup truck and three battery-run vans were stopped at the checkpoint. While the drivers attempted to flee, police detained them. However, one of them, known as Idris, managed to escape. After searching the vehicles, police seized 116 sacks of illegal white polythene, 2,521 pounds of LDPE polythene rolls, three battery-operated vans, and an old pickup truck. A case has been filed under the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act against the arrestees and the fugitive Idris with the police station, said Talebur Rahman of DMP media wing. During preliminary interrogation, the arrestees admitted to collecting the banned polythene from Dhaka and Narayanganj and transporting it to supply to businesses. Efforts are underway to arrest the fugitive Idris and take further legal action, police said.

Police recovered Chattogram court’s nine sacks of missing case documents from a scrap shop in Patharghata area of the city early Thursday morning and arrested a man. Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abdul Karim said that the suspect was identified after analysing CCTV footage from the court over the past two days. The arrested man used to sell tea on the court premises, he said. The documents had been stolen from the balcony of the Chattogram Court and were sold at the scrap shop. Case documents(CDs) of 1,911 cases were found missing at the Chattogram court recently. The matter came to light on January 6 after the Public Prosecutor (PP) of Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court Mofizul Haque Bhuiyan filed a general diary (GD) at the Kotwali Police Station. Violence at Ctg court: Eight accused put on 5-day remand again Lawyers said these case documents are crucial for proving guilts and their disappearance could severely impede justice. The documents were stolen between December 13 and December 31 during the cour’st vacation period, court sources said.

Mohammad Selim Ashrafi, infamously known as “Chora Selim,” a notorious criminal and alleged drug kingpin of the Geneva Camp area in the city’s Mohammadpur, was arrested early Thursday in a Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) operation. The arrest follows months of intelligence surveillance carried out by RAB-2 within its jurisdiction. Selim, 44, is accused of masterminding a drug syndicate that has dominated the Geneva Camp area for years. His alleged criminal empire extended beyond drug trafficking to include murder, theft, extortion, and violent clashes. Former Dhaka-10 AL MP Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin arrested from Uttara He faces a staggering 35 criminal cases filed across various Dhaka police stations, including charges of murder and violations under the Narcotics Control Act. The Geneva Camp area has reportedly been under Selim's control. In an effort to restore peace in the Geneva Camp and surrounding localities, RAB-2 intensified its intelligence-gathering efforts against Selim. Acting on actionable intelligence, a specialized RAB-2 team conducted a pre-dawn raid on Thursday and apprehended Selim, said Assistant Superintendent of Police Khan Asif Topu, also Assistant Director (Media) of RAB-2. He emphasized that the operation was part of an ongoing effort to dismantle organized criminal networks in the area. Selim is expected to face swift legal proceedings. Authorities expressed hope that his arrest will mark a turning point for the Geneva Camp region, helping to curb the rampant drug trade and restore law and order.

The Appellate Division on Thursday set January 23 for hearing a review petition submitted by death-row convict and Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam in connection with crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War. A five-member bench, led by Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed, fixed the date after senior lawyer Barrister Abdur Razzak, accompanied by others, submitted the review petition on behalf of the Jamaat leader. Following his arrest, ATM Azhar faced nine charges of crimes against humanity. According to the chargesheet, he was ‘responsible’ for killing 1,256 people, abducting 17, and raping 13 women during the Liberation War in the Rangpur region. Besides, he was said to have tortured civilians, set fire to hundreds of houses, and committed other atrocities. The International Crimes Tribunal sentenced him to death on December 30, 2014, in five out of the nine charges. Read: CJ opens ICT building to try July-Aug mass killings On January 28, 2015, the death-row convict submitted a petition to the Appellate Division, claiming his innocence. Later, on July 19, 2020, Azharul Islam filed the review petition with the relevant branch of the Appellate Division. Following an appeal hearing, the Appellate Division, under a bench led by then-Chief Justice Syed Mahmud, upheld the death penalty in a verdict delivered on October 23, 2019. Read more: ICT issues arrest warrants against Sheikh Hasina, 10 others The full text of the Appellate Division’s verdict was released on March 15, 2020, after which ATM Azhar submitted the review petition.

A mobile court on Wednesday fined two local BNP leaders Tk 2.5 lakh for allegedly cutting soil illegally in Nehalpur village of Chuadanga Sadar upazila, under the pretext of digging a pond. The mobile court also imposed a 3-month imprisonment on Makhaldanga union BNP President Nur Gani and Khairul Islam Zudho, joint general secretary of Darshana thana BNP, in default of payment. Two OCs suspended over beating BNP leaders in Lalmonirhat Chuadanga Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) M. Saifullah, acting on a tip-off, raided the site where soil was being cut illegally in Pantapara field. Nur Gani and Khairul Islam Zudho had been cutting and selling soil for a long time, claiming it was for pond excavation. When the officers asked for legal documents, the accused could not provide any. Consequently, both were brought to the Upazila office, where the mobile court imposed the fine. The executive officer seized a tractor and plough used for cutting the land. Nur Gani and Khairul Islam were released after paying the fine to the court. 2 arrested with 8 capped langur in Dhaka UNO Saifullah said cutting land without legal justification is a criminal offence, regardless of whether the land belongs to the individual or someone else. He warned that legal action would be taken against those engaged in similar activities if complaints were received.

Two officers-in-charge (OCs) have been suspended for allegedly beating BNP leaders, including Abdus Sattar, general secretary of the Lalmonirhat district unit of Swechchhasebak Dal. The suspended officers are Abdul Quader, OC of Sadar Police Station, and Firoz Hossain, OC of the Detective Branch (DB). Lalmonirhat Police Superintendent Tariqul Islam said that a three-member committee has been formed to investigate the incident, with a 7-day deadline. Earlier, the two OCs attended a dinner in the Mostafi area of Sadar upazila of Lalmonirhat on Tuesday night hosted by Awami League leader Akher Uddin, who is facing multiple charges. Upon learning of this, BNP leaders and activists went to the place to take photos and question why the accused was hosting a dinner instead of being arrested. In response, the police officers became aggressive, detaining the BNP members and confiscating their mobile phones, they said. The incident quickly sparked outrage among local BNP leaders, activists, and the general public. When protesters blocked the Lalmonirhat-Dhaka highway to demand the release of the detainees, police charged with batons, injuring 12 individuals, including Swechchhasebak Dal leader Abdus Sattar, Jubo Dal leader Habibur Rahman Nayan, and Chhatra Dal leader Biplob Hossain.  The injured were taken to Lalmonirhat Sadar Hospital for treatment. Subsequently, hundreds of local BNP leaders and activists blocked the highway for five hours from 11 pm, demanding the removal of the Lalmonirhat Sadar Police Station OC and DB OC.  The blockade caused severe traffic congestion, with hundreds of vehicles stranded on the road.  The protest ended around 4 am after the army arrived and assured the protesters that the incident would be investigated. There was no response despite several attempts to contact the suspended OCs on their mobile phones. 

The High Court on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to 21 people including Syed Wasiful, a follower of Maulana Saad Kandlavi, in a case over the violent clashes between two factions of Tabligh Jamaat at the Biswa Ijtema ground in Tongi. The High Court bench of Justice Mohammad Mahbub-ul Islam and Justice Md Hamidur Rahman granted the bail till the submission of the police report when they sought bail after appearing before the court. Clash on Ijtema ground: Saad’s follower placed on 2-day remand Senior lawyer Abdullah Al Mamun stood for them. Four people were killed and 40 were injured in a clash between two factions of Tabligh Jamaat at the Biswa Ijtema ground in Tongi on December 18, 2024. On December 19, Maulana Zubair's follower M Alam Hossain filed the murder case against 29 people at the Tongi West Police Station naming Wasiful Islam as the main accused.