United News of Bangladesh

The government has suspended 18 police officials, including sensational Detective Branch (DB) officer Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid, for their absence in the workplaces for long without permission from the authorities concerned. A notification, signed by Nasimul Goni, senior secretary to the Police-1 Section under Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs, was issued on Monday. Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid, additional police commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and former DB Chief, Sanjit Kumar Roy, joint police commissioner of DMP, Rifat Rahman Shamim, additional DIG at Chattogram Range DIG Office, Kazi Ashraful Azim, superintendent of police at Chattogram Range DIG Office, Hasan Arafat, additional SP at Police Training Centre of Khulna, Syed Nurul Islam, DIG of Bangladesh Police Academy at Sardah, Md. Asaduzzaman, SP at Bangladesh Police Academy, Mohammad Zayedul Alam, additional DIG, APBN and Specialized Training Centre in Khagrachhari, Mohammad Farid Uddin, additional DIG, APBN (Chittagong Hill Tracts), Shyamal Kumar Mukherjee, additional DIG at Rajshahi Range DIG Office, Ayesha Siddika, supernumerary additional DIG at Rajshahi Range DIG Office are among the suspended police officials. They also include Rajon Kumar Das, additional SP at 8 APBN in Cox’s Bazar, Mirza Salauddin, additional SP at Police Staff College in Dhaka, Md. Habibullah Dalal, assistant SP at Police Staff College, Rashedul Islam, additional Deputy Police Commissioner at Barishal Metropolitan Police, Md. Moniruzzaman, additional DIG at Dhaka Tourist Police, Md Abu Maruf Hossain, former Deputy Police Commissioner at Rangpur Metropolitan Police but currently with Anti-Terrorism Unit in Dhaka, and Md Ashrafuluzzaman, DIG (Commandant). The suspended officials will, however, get allowances and other facilities during the suspension, the notification says.

Detectives have arrested former Awami League MP Shafiqul Islam Opu (Jhenaidah-2) from Dhanmondi area in Dhaka. Superintendent of Police Manjur Morshed said a Detective Branch (DB) team of Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested him from a house on Sunday. A police team from Jhenaidah went to Dhaka to bring him back and he would be produced before a court on Monday, he said. Former MP Opu is accused in three cases including for vandalism and arson on BNP office in the district. Ex-MP Durjoy placed on 4-day remand He was elected MP from the Jhenaidah-2 seat with boat symbol in  2008 election by defeating BNP- candidate Moshiur Rahman. In 2014 election, he lost to independent candidate Tahjib Alam Siddique. Opu became president of the district unit of Awami League after then president and Jhenaidah-1 AL MP Abdul Hay had died on March 24 last year.

Airport Armed Police have arrested three people in separate incidents at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport along with 887.50 grams of gold ornaments. The estimated market value of the gold seized from the first two incidents is Tk 82.31 lakh, with additional value yet to be confirmed for the third seizure of 199 grams. On Sunday at 9:20 am, Md. Saleh Faisal, 27, was detained with 293.50 grams of gold ornaments near the roundabout between the departure and arrival terminals. The seized gold is estimated to be worth Tk 36,10,050. Later the same day, at 1:45 pm, Monirul Islam, 34, was detained near the media corner of Arrival Terminal No. 2. Police recovered 395 grams of gold ornaments from his possession, valued at Tk 46,21,500. Two separate cases have been filed at Dhaka International Airport Police Station in connection with the incidents. Earlier in the morning, at 10:20 am, law enforcers detained Masum Rana, 32, at Arrival Terminal No. 2 with 199 grams of gold ornaments. He was later sent to the Executive Magistrate Court at the airport for legal proceedings. During preliminary interrogation, the detainees admitted to smuggling the gold into the country by evading customs, using unidentified incoming passengers. All three have long-standing ties to a gold smuggling syndicate and were acting as receivers. Police Superintendent Mohammad Mozammel Haque, Operational Commander of the Airport Armed Police Battalion (APBn-13), said, the Airport Armed Police is very vigilant in preventing smuggling and suppressing other crimes in the airport area. “We are in a strong position as always to prevent gold smuggling activities,” he added.  

Detective Branch (DB) police arrested Nasir Uddin Sathi, chairman of private television channel MyTV, from capital’s Gulshan area on Sunday evening. Nasir Uddin was an accused in a murder case filed at Jatrabari police station in connection with July Movement, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Talebur Rahman. He will be produced before the court on Monday and police will seek remand for further interrogation, he said.  

The High Court on Sunday deferred till October 26 the hearing on the bail petition filed by former Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque in a case filed over the death of a Jubo Dal activist  at Jatrabari during the July uprising. The HC bench of Justice Md Zakir Hossain and Justice KM Rasheduzzaman Raja passed the order after hearing a petition filed seeking time. On August 11, the lawyers of Khairul Haque filed a petition seeking cancellation of the case and bail for their client. HC Rule: Delta Medical College and Hospital faces Tk 5 crore compensation for breaking newborn's hand The state counsel filed a petition seeking time for one week in the case that led to chaos at the court. Later, the court fixed Sunday for hearing the petition. On July 24 this year, detectives arrested Khairul from his Dhanmondi residence.

As law enforcers tighten their vigilance against narcotics, smugglers continue to devise new tactics to evade detection, though not always successfully. Two Dhaka-bound passengers were detained on Sunday morning at Cox’s Bazar Airport with more than 5,000 pieces of Yaba tablets concealed inside cricket bats. The arrestees were identified as Zakir Hossain, 26, of Madaripur, and Tanvir Ahmed, 30, of Barishal. Police said Tanvir is a dismissed employee of Cox’s Bazar Airport. Man held with 2,820 Yaba pills at Dhaka Airport

In yet another incident of lynch-mob attack, a youth was killed at Lalbagh in the capital early Sunday. The deceased was identified as Md Toufiqul Islam alias “Killer Babu,” 26, son of Yunus Khan and Hasina Begum. Police said two crude bombs went off in Shaheednagar Lohar Bridge area on August 14. Suspecting Toufiqul’s involvement in the blasts some residents of the area chased him around 3:30 am on Sunday and gave him a severe beating. Suspected ‘cattle thief’ lynched in Gazipur Being informed, a team of army from Azimpur Army Camp rushed to the spot and rescued him. He was taken to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) around 7:50am where doctors declared him dead, said Lalbagh police station sub-inspector Belayet Hossain. The body has been kept at the DMCH morgue for autopsy. Police said legal steps will be taken.

A local leader of Sramik Kalyan Federation, the labour wing of Bangladesh Jamaat Islami, was stabbed to death by unidentified miscreants in Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha district on Saturday night. The victim was identified as Nazrul Islam Nazir, 40, son of late Tofazzal Hossain of Shital village under Nakai union of the upazila, and president of a ward unit of the party. Police and locals said Nazir was returning home after closing his shop from a local market on Saturday night when the miscreants called him aside, slit his throat and fled the scene. As he did not return home, relatives searched for him but failed to trace him. Jubo Dal activist stabbed dead in Sylhet Later, on Sunday morning, locals spotted the mutilated body lying a short distance from his house and informed his family. On information, Gobindaganj police recovered the body. Officer-in-charge of Gobindaganj Police Station Bulbul Islam said an investigation is underway to identify those involved in the murder.  

Three individuals were detained during a raid conducted by joint forces at a coaching centre in Rajshahi city's Kadirganj area early Saturday. The detainees are Montasebul Alam (Anindya), the owner of the Doctor English coaching centre and nephew of former Rajshahi mayor and Awami League leader Khairuzzaman Liton. The two others detained are Md Robin and Md Faisal, said a statement issued in the afternoon and signed by the commander of the Rajshahi Army Camp. According to a statement, the raid was the result of a month-long intelligence surveillance. A team from the 40th East Bengal Regiment (Mechanized) of the army began the operation around 1:30am early Friday night. During the operation, various weapons, ammunition, and bomb-making materials were recovered. The recoveries include: three firearms and ammunition, a military-grade binocular and sniper scope, six locally made weapons, seven foreign-made sharp daggers, five high-quality walkie-talkie sets, a military-grade GPS device, a taser gun, various local and foreign cartridges, a large number of unused SIM cards, bomb-making materials, six computer sets, Tk 7,445 in cash, various local and foreign liquors and 11 nitrogen cartridges. All of these items were found to be in active condition. The bomb disposal unit later defused the explosive materials. Intelligence agencies have launched a deeper investigation into the matter, and the operation is currently ongoing. The army will continue to take firm action against illegal weapons, explosives, and any terrorist activities in the future, said the statement.

Authorities have heightened security across Gopalganj district on Friday, the day Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members were assassinated 50 years ago. Additional police personnel have been deployed at key points, including entry routes and sensitive locations of the district to ward off any unexpected incident. Currently, some 900 police members are on duty in the district, supported by forces from neighbouring areas. Alongside the police, members of the Army, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), Armed Police Battalion (APBn), and other law enforcement agencies, both in uniform and plainclothes, remain deployed in security duties. Although the Awami League has not announced any central programmes in Gopalganj or upazila headquarters to observe the day, law enforcing officials assumed that small-scale commemorations may take place in villages. On Thursday, Additional DIG (Administration & Finance) of Dhaka Range Mohammad Abdul Mabud and Additional DIG (Operations) Md Siddiqur Rahman met with senior officers at the Gopalganj police superintendent’s office. Dhanmondi 32 under tight security as Aug 15 approached They issued instructions to monitor law and order closely and prevent any untoward incidents. Gopalganj Superintendent of Police Md Mizanur Rahman and other senior district police officials attended the meeting. Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration) Md Sarowar Hossain said adequate police are in place to address any possible threats. “Security has been intensified across Gopalganj. We have sufficient forces to deal with any situation,” he said. Officials said that the administration has taken all necessary steps to avert any untoward incident during the day’s observance. Last year, leaders and activists of Awami League and its associate bodies observed the 49th death anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh in the district. On the occasion of the day, party and black flags along with the national flag were hoisted at Gopalganj district Awami office. Party leaders paid tribute to the portrait of Bangabandhu by placing wreaths in the morning on that day.