United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) has seized all bank accounts of former national cricket team captain Shakib Al Hasan. The BFIU confirmed this to journalists last night. On October 2, the agency had summoned all the bank account information of Shakib and his wife Umm Ahmed Shishir and their business organisations to investigate manipulations and financial irregularities in the capital market. After the investigation, BFIU seized all his bank accounts on the orders of the government. Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC), the capital market regulatory body, fined Shakib Tk 50 lakh on September 24 for violating the securities law by manipulating the shares of Paramount Insurance. Read: BFIU seeks bank account information of Shakib Al Hasan, his wife Shakib, a star all-rounder, was elected Member of Parliament from Magura-1 Constituency for Awami League in the last parliamentary elections. He was accused in a murder case filed at Adabar police station after the fall of Hasina's government on August 5. Shakib Al Hasan is currently staying in the United States with his family.

The High Court on Wednesday directed fifteen individuals, including two former Awami League MPs, HBM Iqbal and Nurunnabi Chowdhury Shawon, to surrender before the relevant judicial courts in connection with the Malibagh quadruple murder case in 2001. They were acquitted of the charge by a tribunal in 2010. The High Court bench, consisting of Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman and Justice Md Sagir Hossain, issued the order on Wednesday after hearing a petition filed by Yunus Mridha, the then president of the Khilgaon Thana unit BNP. The other accused are Imdadul Haque, Moniruzzaman Liton, Abdul Halim, Abdus Salam, Tarek Samsul Khan, Shawkat Hossain Nannu, Kabiruddin Ahmed, Kamrul Morshed, Jasimuddin, Abul Bashar, Munshi Kamruzzaman Kajal, Picchi Hannan, and Liaqat Hossain. Of them, Picchi Hannan, and Liaqat Hossain passed away. 'Shishu Bokta' Rafiqul Islam acquitted from 4 DSA cases Advocate Md Aminul Islam appeared in court to represent the petitioner. Earlier in 2010, a Dhaka tribunal had relieved them based on a recommendation of the home ministry to withdraw the case. Lawyer Aminul Islam mentioned that the judge who delivered the verdict had not provided any detailed reasoning for exempting the accused. As a result, the plaintiff in the case, Yunus Mridha, filed an appeal with the High Court seeking the cancellation of two orders from 2010. “If the accused fail to surrender within the given timeframe, an arrest warrant will be issued against them,” said Adv Aminul adding that the trial against the accused would continue in the case. An anti-hartal procession led by Dr. Iqbal and another pro-hartal procession led by BNP collided at Malibagh intersection on Feb 13, 2001. Four BNP activists were gunned down in the clash that ensued. Salman, Anisul, 3 others shown arrested in 4 murder cases The deceased were Jasim Uddin, Khokon, Abdur Rashid Mollah and Nazma Aktar. Various photographs of terrorists Dulal and Khorshed Alam firing arms were published in a number of newspapers the next day. A charge sheet was submitted on Dec 29, 2002 accusing 24 individuals. On August 17, 2009, the assistant secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Abu Sayed Molla, recommended the withdrawal of the names of some defendants from the case considering it as a 'political harassment case'.  

Police arrested a female leader of the banned student organisation Chhatra League leader on Wednesday in connection with the killing of Mohammad Shahmeer Howlader during the July-August student movement in Dhaka’s Mirpur. Julia Akhter, general secretary for Ward 7 Chhatra League was from Mirpur’s Rupnagar arrested by a team from Rupnagar police at 12:05 am, confirmed Talebur Rahman, joint commissioner of Detective Branch of Police. 'Shishu Bokta' Rafiqul Islam acquitted from 4 DSA cases According to sources from the Rupnagar Police Station, Mohammad Shahmeer Howlader’s cousin, Samrat Howlader, filed a murder case on September 15, 2024. The complaint details that on the afternoon of July 20, 2024, a large procession of students and citizens gathered at Prashika Mor in Rupnagar to protest against discrimination. During the rally, members from various factions of the Awami League, including affiliated organisations, allegedly opened indiscriminate gunfire on the crowd. Shahmeer Howlader was struck in the chest and critically injured. He was taken to Shahid Sohrawardy Medical College Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Chinese national sentenced to 10 years in Sylhet for killing compatriot Further investigation, aided by intelligence and technology, led the police to identify Julia as a suspect in Shahmeer Howlader's murder. She was subsequently arrested. Legal proceedings against Julia are underway at Rupnagar Police Station, with further steps being taken to address the charges.

Rafiqul Islam Madani, popularly known as 'Shishu Bokta' has been acquitted in four cases filed under the Digital Security Act in four separate police stations in Dhaka. Judge Nur-e Alam of Dhaka Cyber Tribunal passed the order on Wednesday, accepting a plea for the Islamic orator, said Public Prosecutor Md Rafiqul Islam. Earlier, Rafiqul's lawyer Shohel Md Fazle Rabbi, filed applications requesting his client's release from the charges. The court, after scrutinizing all the facts and documents, relieved him from the charges in those four cases, Lawyer Fazle Rabbi said. On April 8, 2021, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested Rafiqul Islam from his house in Netrokona and filed a case under Digital Security Act at Gazipur’s Gacha Police Station. Later, three more DSA cases were filed against him in three separate police stations.

A Sylhet court on Wednesday sentenced Chinese national Xue Chao to 10 years in prison for the killing of another Chinese citizen in 2021. Shylhet Metropolitan Sessions Judge Muhammad Habibur Rahman Siddique gave the verdict. The court also imposed a fine of Tk 1 lakh on the convict. Elderly man murdered over land dispute in Natore According to the case documents, Wentao Wei and Xue Chao, along with 10 other Chinese nationals, resided in a flat in the West Pathantoli area of Sylhet. They were employed at a power plant. On 18 May 2021, Wentao and Xue Chao locked in a quarrel over a trivial matter. At one point, Chao stabbed Wentao, resulting in his immediate death. 10 kidnapped fishermen rescued in Sundarbans Following the incident, a case was filed against Xue Chao at Sylhet’s Kotwali Police Station, based on a complaint lodged by Wentao’s wife, Wang Qi Yujing.

Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s adviser Salman F Rahman, former law minister Anisul Huq and three others were shown arrested in four murder cases. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ariful Rahman passed the order after hearing a petition for showing them arrested. During the hearing, the arrestees were present at the court and later they were sent to jail. Anisul Huq was shown arrested in two murder cases filed with Mirpur Model and Uttara East police stations respectively. Salman F Rahman, former state minister Kamal Ahmed Majumdar were shown arrested in a murder case with Mirpur Model Police station. Barrister Syed Sayedul Haque Suman and Home Ministry’s former secretary Jahangir Alam were shown arrested in murder cases filed with Khilgaon and Lalbagh police stations. In the face of mass upsurge on August 5, Sheikh Hasina fled the country while law enforcement agencies arrested some senior Awami League leaders most of whom are on remand.

A 70-year-old man was killed allegedly by his nephews over a disputed land in Singra upazila of Natore on Wednesday. The deceased was Arshab Ali, a resident of Choupukudia village under the upazila. Locals said there had long been a dispute between the families over the ownership of a piece of land. In the morning, members of both families got locked into an argument and at one stage nephews Yousuf and Ahsan beat up Arshab with sticks, leaving him critically injured. Locals rushed him to Upazila Health Complex where physicians declared him dead upon arrival. Singra police station’s Officer-in-Charge Asmaul Haque said legal action will be taken.

Throat-slit bodies of two youths have been recovered from their flat at Kashimpur in Gazipur. The deceased are  Russell Hossain, 23, son of late Rabiul Islam of Debhata upazila of Satkhira and Sufian, 24, son of Jafar Ali of Bhola’s Sadar upazila. Locals said the two used to work in a factory and had long been living in a flat on the third floor of the building owned byRezaul Karim in Madhabpur area. Owner of the factory where the two brothers used to work informed the building’s caretaker Bakul that they didn’t go to their workplace on Tuesday. At 11pm the caretaker found the bodies lying inside the residence. Later, police recovered the bodies and sent those to Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy, said Kashimpur police station’s Officer-in-Charge Saiful Islam. He said they were looking for the matter and a legal process was underway in this connection.

Home Adviser Lt. Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam has said the country’s law and order is better than earlier  and efforts are on to improve more. “Law and order of entire Dhaka will be improved following the Mohammadpur Model. No criminals will be spared and no matter how powerful they are,” he said on Wednesday at the Secretariat following a meeting with the law enforcement agencies. Representatives of the law enforcement agencies including Army, police and others were present. The newly appointed police personnel who came from outside Dhaka will take time to know the alleys and lanes and they have to be given time, the adviser said. He said the occupation of the city roads by hawkers will be strongly monitored and the government will discuss with the Power division to stop the power supply to the autorickshaws so that they can’t ply the main roads.

The High Court (HC) on Tuesday issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to dispose of a writ petition within 10 days filed for formation of an independent investigation commission to unveil the facts behind the BDR carnage that occurred in Pilkhana in 2009. A HC division of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Debashish Roy Chowdhury issued the rule after hearing the writ petition filed for its directive on the government to constitute the commission. The court set November 24 for the next hearing. Lawyers Md Tanvir Ahmed and Biplab Kumar Poddar filed the petition as a public interest litigation on 20 October. In the petition, they also prayed for an HC order on the authorities concerned to declare February 25 as "Shaheed Sena Dibos (martyred soldier day)". Lawyer Tanvir himself moved the petition while Deputy Attorney General Tanim Khan stood for the state. During his submission before the court, Tanvir said no investigation report about the culprits and masterminds behind the massacre in Pilkhana was published nationally. After the fall of the Awami League (AL) government on August 5, the families of the victims and former army officers have been giving new information about the massacre. He said some people have claimed that the investigation was not conducted in a proper manner. He said they have submitted a petition to the Home Ministry on 3 November, requesting formation of a national independent investigation commission and declaring 25 February as 'Shaheed Sena Dibos. The carnage inside Pilkhana headquarters took place on February 25-26, 2009, leaving 74 people including 57 army officials killed. On November 5 in 2013, a Dhaka court sentenced 150 BDR members and two civilians to death and life imprisonment to 160 others in connection with the murder case. A total of 256 people, mostly BDR soldiers, were handed jail sentences and 278 others were acquitted. The HC later pronounced its verdict on 27 November 2017, confirming the death penalty of 139 persons and life term to 185 others. Some 228 accused were awarded different jail terms and 45 others were acquitted of charges. The state has filed leave to appeals (permission for filing appeal) against 83 accused who were acquitted of the charges or which punishments were commuted.