United News of Bangladesh

The High Court on Tuesday ordered the eviction of 508 illegal establishments along Gumti River within six months. The HC bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Md Bashir Ullah passed the order after disposing of a rule issued in this regard 14 years ago. Advocate Manzil Murshid stood for the petitioner. The HC also asked the Water Development Board to take decision over the proposal of dredging within three months and settle the issue of allocating money needed for the eviction drive within this period. The Superintendent of Cumilla Police and Upazila Nirbahi Officer have been asked to monitor as none can occupy the river illegally. During the hearing Manzil Murshid said a list had been prepared with names and addresses but none was evicted yet. In 2011, a human rights organisation Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh filed a writ petition. On March 2, 2011, the High Court asked to submit a list of those involved in occupying the lands of Gomti River and fixed the demarcation boundary of the river through survey. During the survey, the local administration identified 623 illegal establishments and informed the court to take steps to evict the 265 illegal establishments.

A Sylhet court on Sunday convicted a pair of brothers in a case filed over a double-murder in 2007, and sentenced Judge of the Sylhet Additional Session Judge Court-5 Jhalak Roy handed down the punishment. The court also sentenced another accused to life imprisonment and two others to ten-month in jail in the case. The condemned convicts were identified as Borhan Uddin, 46 and Abdun Nur, 53, two sons of Abu Shaheed of Kanaighat upazila of the district. The court also fined them Tk 5,000 each. They were tried in absentia. The court also sentenced Borhan Uddin to five years jail and fined Tk 10,000, in default, to suffer six months in jail while Abdun Nur to one year jail in another section of the case. The lifer was identified as Abdus Shukkur, 50. The court also fined him TK 10,000, in default to one year more in rigorous imprisonment. The court also sentenced Saidul, 58 and Sultan, 38, son of Abu Shaheed to ten-month jail. Another accused of the case Abdul Kashim died during the trial proceedings. According to the prosecution, the convicts hit Sajida, wife of Abdullah of Poita village in Kanaighat upazila, with a sharp weapon following a dispute over demarcating the boundary wall of their houses on July 22, 2007. When Abdullah went to his house, the convicts beat him up mercilessly. At one stage, the convicts hit Abu Bakar, father of Abdullah, with a sharp weapon when he went to save his son. In the meantime, the convicts also beat up Moin Uddin, 60, father-in-law of Abdullah and Abdullah’s brother-in-law Habibur Rahman, when they went to save the victims. Later, they were taken to Kanaighat Upazila Health Complex where the doctors declared Abu Bakar dead. Meanwhile, Moin Uddin succumbed to his injuries at Osmani Medical College and Hospital, four days after the attack. A case was filed in this connection. Police submitted chargesheet against six people on October 14, 2007.  

A Dhaka court on Sunday sent three officials of online airline ticketing platform ‘Flight Expert’ to jail in connection with a case filed over embezzlement of customers’ funds. The accused are Sakib Hossain, 32, Head of Finance; Sayed Ahmed, 40, Chief Commercial Officer; and AKM Sadat Hossain, 32, Chief Operating Officer of the company. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Minhazur Rahman passed the order after rejecting their bail petitions. During the hearing, the court said embezzling an amount a large as Tk 5,000–6,000 crore could not have occurred overnight. They have been serving in the organisation for a long time and it is not possible to suddenly misappropriate such a huge amount, the court observed. Kushtia horror: ‘They tied my husband to a tree and took me!’ On behalf of the accused, lawyer Afzal Hossain Mridha said that the three were mere employees and had no direct involvement in the embezzlement. "They are actually victims. The owner has fled, and they have been arrested simply because they worked for the company," he said adding that there are no specific allegations directly linking them to the financial misconduct. Earlier, police arrested them on Saturday. A customer named Bipul Sarkar filed a case with Motijheel Police accusing five people. In addition to the three arrested officials—the case also names Flight Expert's Managing Director Salman Bin Rashid Shah Saim and his father MA Rashid. The two remain at large. According to case documents, Flight Expert abruptly stopped operations on Saturday evening, leaving thousands of customers and ticket-selling agencies in limbo. Chargesheet filed in first murder case from July Uprising in Ctg Many had made advance payments for air tickets, tour packages, and other services and the shutdown has raised serious concerns about the recovery of crores of taka in customer funds. Several employees of the company have claimed that the owners closed the business without warning and fled the country, further deepening the crisis. Plaintiff Bipul Sarkar alleged in the case that Tk 4.79 crore was embezzled from the customers through fraudulent means. Founded in March 2017, Flight Expert quickly got popularity by offering convenient and low-cost services such as airline ticket booking, hotel reservations, visa assistance, and tour packages for both domestic and international travel.  

After finishing her shift at a small eatery in Baro Mile, a hardworking woman began her usual ride home with her husband, unaware that the night in kushtia would take a tragic turn. What followed in a nearby litchi orchard of Bheramara upazila will scar the couple forever. A group of five men intercepted the three-wheeler. The 26-year-old woman and her husband were no match for the sudden violence. The men dragged them into the orchard, tied the husband to a tree and began to beat him. Then, the woman was taken deeper into the trees and raped. “I could hear her screaming,” the husband later told police, choking on his words. “I couldn’t do anything. They had tied me up like an animal.” The alleged perpetrators, all from Bahirchar union, were swiftly detained by the police. Among them are Kalu Pramanik, 46, Murshid Sheikh, 45, Titu Mondal alias Tipu, 42, Ejajul, 42, and van driver Rubel Ali, 24. Two get life term for rape in Naogaon Police said that three of them have confessed to the crime. But even after enduring such a harrowing ordeal, the couple’s trauma did not end there. According to locals, the woman and her husband were taken to Bheramara Police Station after residents, hearing her desperate screams, called the national emergency helpline 999. Shockingly, they alleged that the couple was held at the station overnight without sending the woman for urgent medical examination. “They were kept there till 9am the next day,” a resident said. When asked, officer-in-charge (OC) of Bheramara Police Station Abdur Rob denied that the couple was kept without proper care. Superintendent of Police Md Mizanur Rahman assured that the woman would be taken for medical tests once the formal complaint process was completed. “Police detained five suspects soon after receiving the complaint,” he added. This isn’t just another police case, another line in a register. It is the story of a woman who survived a night of unimaginable brutality, and of a man who stood powerless as criminals tore through their lives. Khagrachhari rape underscores grave threat to women and children’s safety: MJF In just the first three months of 2024, at least 114 women fell victim to rape in Bangladesh, according to a report released by Ain o Salish Kendra yesterday. Among the victims, three were killed following the assault and one took her own life, the human rights group said, highlighting the ongoing crisis of violence against women.

Police have submitted the chargesheet in the first murder case linked to the mass uprising in Chittagong, which took place during the political unrest in July last year. Investigating Officer SI Nurul Haque of Chandgaon Police Station submitted the chargesheet to the prosecution branch of the Chittagong Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court on Thursday. The court also fixed a hearing on the chargesheet for August 25, in the presence of the plaintiff, said Chandgaon Police Station Officer-in-Charge Aftab Ahmed. The case involved the killing of Shahidul Islam Shahid, a shop employee, who was shot dead during a student-led movement in the Bahaddarhat area of Chittagong city on the evening of August 3, 2024—just two days before the fall of the Awami League government. The chargesheet, filed under Section 302 of the Penal Code, named 231 individuals as accused. Among them are several high-profile political figures, including Former Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud, Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Jabed and Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel. Other prominent accused include former Chittagong City Corporation mayors Rezaul Karim Chowdhury and AJM Nasir Uddin, as well as former MPs ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury, MA Latif, Abu Reza Muhammad Nezamuddin Nadvi, Mohiuddin Bachchu, Abdus Salam, Didarul Alam Didar, SM Al Mamun, and Noman Al Mahmud. Also listed are former city councilors Jaharlal Hazari, Esrarul Haque, Nur Mostafa Tinu, Pulak Khastgir, Salimullah Bachchu, and Ziaul Haque Sumon, alongside city Awami League president Mahtab Uddin Chowdhury and numerous leaders and activists from affiliated bodies like Jubo League and Chhatra League. According to court sources, 128 individuals have been named as witnesses. An application has been made for the trial to proceed and the court will now determine the next course of legal action, added the OC.

A case has been filed at Muradnagar Police Station over the recent attack on journalists during a political clash in Cumilla’s Muradnagar upazila. Journalist Md Shahe Imran, a resident of Panchthubi under Kotwali Police Station and the district correspondent for the daily Khola Kagoj, filed the case. He named four individuals in the complaint, along with 12 unidentified attackers. Another arrested over extortion in Gulshan residence The four named as accused are Shukur Ali, 35, son of Majid Miah of Rahimpur village, Ashiqul Islam Siddiqui, 21, son of Tajul Member of Khamar village, Nahidul Islam Nayem, 24, son of Monir Hossain of Siddheshwari village, and Kamal Hossain, 25, son of Samad Miah of Gunjar village. The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon, during a protest rally at Allah Chattar in Muradnagar Sadar. The rally was organized by supporters of Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan and his father in response to alleged propaganda against them. A clash broke out between their supporters and those of BNP Vice Chairman Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad, during which several journalists who were covering the event came under attack. According to the case details, as the clash escalated, a group of attackers turned on the journalists, beating them and snatching their cameras, mobile phones, and cash. At least seven journalists were injured in the assault. Five remanded over attack on Hindu neighbourhood in Rangpur Zahidur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) OF Muradnagar Police Station, described the attack as “very despicable” and said the accused had fled the area immediately after the incident. “No arrests have been made yet, but we are doing our best to track them down,” he added. Plaintiff Md Shahe Imran said, “We were attacked while doing our job. Along with being physically assaulted, our equipment and personal belongings were taken. We demand justice.”

The Border Security Force (BSF) of India handed over 17 Bangladeshi nationals to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on Friday morning. The flag meeting, which started at 11:30 am, was conducted at the Company Commander level between the Chuadanga Battalion (6 BGB) and 161 BSF Battalion at the zero line near Main Pillar 105. Subedar Shri Tapas Kumar, company commander of Mujibnagar BGB camp, led the BGB side, while Inspector Shri Dharmendradah represented the BSF from the Hnadaypur BSF camp. India’s BSF hands over detained Bangladeshi The 17 individuals — comprising 8 men, 5 women, and 4 children — had reportedly crossed into India illegally through various border points over an unspecified period. Preliminary questioning revealed that all had entered India without proper documentation. Following coordination between the two border forces, the individuals were formally repatriated in accordance with established procedures.

Detectives on Friday arrested another student leader for his alleged involvement in extorting money from the Gulshan residence of former reserved seat MP Shammi Ahmed by posing as a coordinator of the ‘Anti-Discrimination Movement.’ With this, the total number of arrestees so far stood at six. The arrestee Jane Alam Apu is a joint convener of Bangladesh Democratic Student Union. He was detained by a team of the Detective Branch (DB) from Wari area of the capital on Friday morning. DB South Joint Commissioner Mohammad Nasirul said Apu was on the run after being accused of demanding Tk 50 lakh in extortion. Earlier, on July 26, police arrested Md Sakadoun Siam, Sadman Sadab, Md Aminul Islam, Ibrahim Hossain Munna, and Abdur Razzak Riyad from the house for their alleged involvement with the extortion. Among them, Munna is Dhaka city convenor of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, while Siam and Sadab are also members of the same body. Student leader among five held for extortion at former MP’s home Riyad is the acting convenor for the Private Universities Committee under the same platform and a member of the Bangladesh Democratic Student Union. According to police, the group went to Shammis’s residence on July 17 and demanded Tk 1 crore, threatening to label her a ‘fascist collaborator’ and report her to police if she refused. They even took Tk 10 lakh. A video of the extortion incident later went viral on social media, showing two men receiving cash in the guest room of a residence. On Thursday, police recovered cheques worth Tk 2.25 crore and fixed deposit receipts (FDRs) worth Tk 20 lakh from the Tejgaon’s Nakhalpara residence of arrested Riyad. Riyad has allegedly been constructing a building at his village home Nabipur under Senbagh upazila of Noakhali district, with the money earned from the extortion, though his family denied the allegation, claiming that As-Sunnah Foundation donated the money.

Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) detained an Indian citizen from Logang Bazar border area in Panchhari upazila of Khagrachhari district on Thursday. The detainee was identified as Jamesing Tripura, 45, a resident of Deshpara village under Rainagarbari police station in Dhalai district of India’s Tripura state. According to BGB sources, Jamesing crossed the border illegally into Bangladesh and purchased two goats from local Logang Bazar. While returning to India, he was intercepted by a BGB patrol team led by official Abdul Alim from the Boddanagorpara BOP. BGB launches arrest drive in Khagrachhari after gunfight with UPDF Two goats were seized from him at the time of detention. He was later handed over to Panchhari Police Station. Officer-in-charge of the police station Md Jasim Uddin said a case was filed for the illegal entry and the detainee will be produced before court.

A court in Rangpur has granted a two-day remand for five people arrested in connection with the recent attack on a Hindu Palli at Aldadpur Balapara village under Betgari union of Gangachara upazila. Senior Judicial Magistrate Krishna Kamal Roy issued the remand order on Thursday after the investigation officer—officer-in-charge (OC) of Gangachara Police Station—submitted a five-day remand petition. Court in-charge Aminul Islam confirmed the development. The accused are: Yasin Ali, 25, of Singergari Majhapara village in Kishoreganj upazila, Nilphamari, Swadhin Mia, 28, of Magura Sripara, Ashraful Islam, 28, of Dakshin Chandkhana Mayapara, SM Atiqur Rahman Khan Atiq, 28, of Uttar Singergari Pathanpara, Saddam Hossain Selim, 22, of Dakshin Singergari Choorapara. Earlier on Wednesday afternoon, the accused were produced before the court, and the remand plea was submitted. According to police, tensions flared in the area after a Hindu teenager from the Aldatpur Chayani Balapara area was arrested on July 26 for allegedly posting content on Facebook that insulted the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH). The incident sparked outrage, and a relative’s house was attacked that same night. The following day (July 27), the teenager was produced before court in a case filed under the CyberSecurity Act and was sent to a Youth Development Center. Despite legal action, unrest escalated. On Sunday, people from Singergari, Magura, and Banglabazar areas of Nilphamari’s Kishoreganj upazila reportedly marched in protest and launched attacks. Police intervention led to clashes, during which a police officer was injured and several houses belonging to the Hindu community were vandalised. Later, victim Rabindranath filed a case at Gangachara Police Station on Tuesday night, accusing 1,200 unidentified individuals in connection with the violence.