United News of Bangladesh

Detectives have arrested two men with two foreign-made pistols from Dholaipar area in the capital on Friday. The arrestees were identified as Milon Hossain, 39, and Shamil alias Shamil Hossain, 22, said DMP's DC media Talebur Rahman on Saturday afternoon. According to DB-Wari division, a team of detectives conducted an operation around 4:25 pm near the Tungipara bus counter adjacent to the Dholaipar roundabout under Jatrabari Police Station and arrested the duo as they attempted to flee the scene on a motorcycle after sensing police presence. Earlier, at around 3:45 pm, detectives stationed near Sayedabad bus stand had received a tip-off that several armed persons were gathering in the area. Teenager ‘beaten to death’ over theft suspicion at Jatrabari Acting on the information, the DB team reached the spot and intercepted the two suspects. A search of their bodies led to the recovery of two foreign-made pistols, hidden at the back of their waists. Police also seized the motorcycle used by them. Legal action against the detainees is underway, officials said.    

Miscreants set fire to Assistant Commissioner (AC-Land) office and Registry office in Magura Sadar by throwing petrol early Saturday. AC (Land) Asma Akter said the perpetrators broke a window at the back of the building and hurled petrol bombs around 3am. The fire engulfed a room on the ground, damaging computers and important land documents, she said. Later firefighters and police managed to bring the blaze under control. Meanwhile, around 4:30am, the attackers set fire to Magura Registry office. Though no documents were burnt two rooms used by deed writers were gutted. Officer-in-charge Md Ayub Ali of Magura Sadar Police Station said bottles containing petrol were recovered and a special drive is underway to identify the culprits. A case has been filed in this regard, he added.

Members of the Bangladesh Army in a drive recovered two pistols and a one-shooter gun from the house of a mason in Khoksa upazila of Kushtia on Thursday night. However, no one could be detained in this connection as the firearms were recovered in an abandoned condition. Being tipped-off, an army team led by Captain Mehedi conducted the raid at the house of mason Sohaq Hosen in Osmanpur Kolpara village of the upazila. During the search, the army personnel recovered two pistols, one shooter gun, bullets, a locally made knife, and a hatchet. Inspector (investigation) Mosharraf Hossain of Khoksa Police Station said on Friday morning that the seized weapons had been handed over to the police station. Legal action will be taken in this regard, he added.

All heavy weapons looted from law enforcement agencies have now been recovered, Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said on Friday. “There is no failure on the government’s part in recovering weapons looted from the police. They are being recovered and will continue to be recovered,” he said. The adviser made the remarks while speaking to journalists at an event organised by the Fire Service and Civil Defence Headquarters at its Purbachal training ground to mark International Volunteer Day. When asked about the exact number of looted weapons still unaccounted for or recovered so far, the adviser said he could not immediately provide the figures. Responding to another query regarding the recent police ordinance, Jahangir Alam said the government enacts laws to serve the people.  “This law has been formulated so that people receive services—this is for the service of the people,” he said. Senior officials of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, representatives of different organisations, and personnel of various ranks attended the event. The adviser mentioned that the Fire Service and Civil Defence is working to build a network of 62,000 volunteers across the country, and has already trained more than 55,000.  He praised the agency’s efforts in advancing this 'timely and essential' initiative. Jahangir Alam said disasters such as earthquakes, major fires, and floods are “difficult to handle by government forces alone,” adding that trained volunteers play a vital supportive role. “For this reason, proper training is essential. Volunteers at all levels must be prepared—especially for disasters like earthquakes. I was pleased to see the exercises demonstrated today. I believe you will be able to perform your duties efficiently when needed," he said. 

A case was filed Thursday over a violent attack on two Customs officials in Chattogram, who were allegedly targeted by criminals for preventing the illegal release of imported goods, according to the National Board of Revenue (NBR). The incident occurred around 10:20am in the CDA Residential Area under Double Mooring Police Station, when three unidentified assailants on a motorcycle intercepted a vehicle carrying Md Asaduzzaman Khan, Revenue Officer of the AIR section at Chattogram Customs House, and Assistant Revenue Officer Md Badrul Arefin Bhuiyan. Asaduzzaman Khan lodged the case at Double Mooring Police Station. The attackers reportedly attempted to kill them, striking the car with a machete and kicking in the left-side window while shouting “shoot, shoot.” The officials escaped unharmed by quickly driving toward their office. Authorities believe the attack is linked to several recent enforcement drives by Chattogram Customs House aimed at preventing revenue evasion. Recent seizures include illegally imported poppy seeds and banned sodium cyclamate worth nearly Tk 10 crore, and a consignment of restricted cigarettes valued at around Tk 30 crore back in May. Customs officials also intercepted multiple consignments of cosmetics brought through false declarations, prompting threats from fraud syndicates. On October 5, an anonymous caller threatened one of the two attacked officials over WhatsApp, following the seizure of misdeclared cosmetics, leading to a general diary being filed at Bandar Police Station the next day. The NBR strongly condemned the assault, describing it as a heinous act against officers performing their lawful duties to curb smuggling, preventing tax evasion, and preventing imports through false declarations. It reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the safety of honest and dedicated officials and urged law enforcement agencies to bring the perpetrators to justice without delay.

The OCs (officers-in-charge) of 50 police stations under Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) have been transferred and given new postings, in the latest round of reshuffles. Dhaka Metropolitan Police headquarters issued three separate notifications in this regard on Thursday. Read More: Reshuffle in Police Admin: Additional IGP among 82 officers made OSD    

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has imposed a ban on all forms of public gatherings in key areas of the capital, including the Bangladesh Secretariat and Jamuna, the official residence of the Chief Adviser, effective from Saturday. The restriction has been enforced under the Section 29 of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ordinance, 1976, citing the need to maintain public order and safety of the Chief Adviser, said a public notice issued by DMP Commissioner Sheikh Md Sazzat Ali. According to the notice, all types of meetings, assemblies, processions, human chains, sit-ins, and similar activities are strictly prohibited in and around the Bangladesh Secretariat and Jamuna. The areas under the restriction included Hotel InterContinental Crossing, Kakrail Mosque Crossing, Officers Club Crossing, and Mintu Road Crossing. The order will remain valid until further notice. The DMP commissioner urged people to cooperate to help maintain peace and security in the designated areas.

The High Court (HC) on Thursday delivered a split verdict on the legality of the ongoing process to sign an operational agreement between the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) and a foreign company for running the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT). The joint bench of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Fatema Anwar issued separate orders. Justice Fatema Najib declared the contract process illegal, while Justice Fatema Anwar ruled an opposite one. Following the split decision, lawyers said the matter will now be sent to the Chief Justice, who will assign another HC bench to settle the issue. Barrister Muhammad Jamiruddin Sircar, Advocate Ahsanul Karim, Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokan and Barrister Kayser Kamal argued for the writ petitioners. Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman and Additional Attorney General Anik R. Huq represented the state. Container handling at Ctg Port up 9% in Aug-October: CPA Chairman Earlier, on November 25, the court concluded hearings on the rule regarding the legality of the foreign-operator agreement for NCT and set December 4 for delivering the order. On July 30, the HC bench of Justice Md. Habibul Gani and Justice Sheikh Taslim Ali issued a rule asking why the contract process should not be declared beyond legal authority. The bench also questioned why a directive should not be given to ensure fair and competitive public bidding, in line with relevant laws and policies, before appointing any operator for the NCT. Bangladesh Young Economists Forum president Mirza Walid Hossain filed the petition challenging the legality of handing over the terminal to a foreign operator. The shipping secretary, the chairman of the Chittagong Port Authority, and the CEO of the Public-Private Partnership Authority were made respondents.

The Appellate Division on Thursday (December 04, 2025) upheld a High Court (HC) order that declared the swearing-in and formation of the interim government valid, dismissing a leave-to-appeal petition over the government. A top court bench, led by Chief Justice Dr. Syed Refaat Ahmed, passed the order. During Wednesday’s (December 03, 2025) hearing, Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman argued that the writ challenging the government’s legality was based on a mistaken notion. Read more: Writ petition filed challenging provision of party symbols in the alliance's vote Lawyers representing the government said that the formation of a government following a popular uprising cannot be questioned, and that raising doubts before the Supreme Court, which was reconstituted after the government took oath, is impermissible. The petitioner’s counsel defended that during the August 5 uprising, the then Chief Justice and Appellate Division judges had sought shelter in the cantonment. Consequently, under Article 106 of the Constitution, they were unable to provide the President with advice regarding government formation, rendering the current government’s oath-taking and formation process illegal. In December last year, senior lawyer Mohsin Rashid first submitted a petition with the HC challenging the legality, which the court rejected, stating that the people’s approval legitimises the interim government and no one could question it. Read more: Writ petition filed seeking stay on election activities Following that, the petitioner sought leave to appeal in the Appellate Division, which was dismissed today (Thursday).

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Wednesday filed a case against six former senior officials of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), including its former chairman Sunil Kanti Bose, for allegedly causing a financial loss of Tk 9,010 crore to the government through criminal breach of trust and abuse of power. The accused are former BTRC chairman Sunil Kanti Bose, former vice-chairman Brig Gen (retd) Md Ahsan Habib Khan, former chairman Dr Shahjahan Mahmood, former commissioner Md Jahurul Haque, Md Rezaul Kader and Md Aminul Hasan. ACC officials said the accused, while serving at BTRC between October 2015 and January 2018, violated relevant laws, guidelines and government instructions by continuing an “experimental” facility without approval from the authorities. The move allegedly caused significant revenue losses to the state while benefiting themselves or International Gateway (IGW) operators financially. Investigators found that during a one-year experimental phase — from September 18, 2014 to September 30, 2015 — the international incoming call termination rate was set at USD 0.015 per minute instead of the approved USD 0.03. The government’s revenue share was reduced from 51.75% to 40%, while IGW operators’ share was increased from 13.25% to 20%. Although the experimental period expired, the accused unlawfully continued the facility for 28 more months (October 2015 to January 2018). ACC calls for fact-based review of Tulip Siddiq's sentencing reports As a result, the government incurred the following losses: Revenue share disparity: Tk 383.73 crore, lower call rate loss:Tk 2,941.99 crore, Loss of foreign currency earnings:Tk 5,685.01 crore (equivalent to USD 72.10 million) In total, the government suffered an estimated loss of Tk 9,010.74 crore. The ACC filed the case under Sections 409/418 of the Penal Code, Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947, and Sections 4(2) and 4(3) of the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012.