United News of Bangladesh

-Police arrested three people with 340 sacks of Indian sugar worth over Tk 20 lakh in Bandarbazar area of Sylhet city on Saturday night. The arrestees are Md Russell Mia, 33; Md Jubel Ahmad, 25; and Maron Befari, 23, according to a media release sent from Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP). A team of the SMP conducted a special drive in front of a restaurant of Bandarbazar by setting a check post on Saturday night and arrested the three with a truck, the release reads. Later, a total of 340 sacks of Indian sugar were seized from their procession, according to police. A case was filed against them with Kotwali Model Police Station and they were sent to jail through a court, added the release.

A former ward councillor of Noapara municipality under Abhaynagar upazila of Jashore was hacked to death by unidentified miscreants, said police on Sunday morning. The deceased has been identified as Ziauddin Palash, 48, son of late Ibrahim Hossain and former councillor of the Ward No-4 of Noapara municipal. He held the post of general secretary of the ward unit of the Awami League. It was learned that the miscreants hacked him with sharp weapons inside an abandoned house behind the Income Tax office of the municipality and left him critically injured around 10pm on Saturday. Hearing his screams, locals rescued and sent him to Upazila Health Complex where physicians declared him dead. Abhaynagar police station’s Officer-in-Charge Md Emadul Karim said they visited the spot and sent the body to Jashore Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy. Several police teams were working to uncover the murder, he said. The victim’s father Ibrahim, a labour leader, had also been gunned down nearly two decades back.

Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) have arrested the driver of the bus that crashed into three vehicles at the toll plaza of  Dhaka-Mawa Expressway on Friday, claiming six lives. The driver, Nuruddin, was arrested from Siddhirganj in Narayanganj on Friday night, Lt. Col. Munim Ferdous, director of the RAB media wing, said on Saturday. He said Nuruddin went into hiding in Siddhirganj after the accident. Five of a family perish as speeding bus crashes into their car on Dhaka-Mawa Expressway Tipped off, police conducted a drive and arrested him, he said. A speeding bus of Bepari Paribahan crashed into the Mawa-bound private car from behind at the Toll Plaza on Friday morning, leaving five members of a family dead on the spot. The bus also rammed into a microbus and a motorbike that left four others injured. Among the injured, one succumbed to injuries later. The bus was seized but the staffers managed to flee.

 The Traffic Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has filed 2,678 cases for traffic law violation during  drives conducted in different areas of the capital on Thursday and Friday.   As part of the operation, 77 vehicles were dumped, and 94 others were wrecked.  The drives were carried out to ensure adherence to traffic regulation and maintain discipline on the roads.  DMP's Traffic Division has announced that such operations will continue to uphold traffic discipline in s Dhaka Metropolitan area.

Temporary Secretariat entry passes—except for those issued to government officials and employees working in the Secretariat—have been canceled due to security concerns following the recent fire incident. The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification on Friday, informing that the cancellation includes all temporary entry passes issued to private individuals, as well as accreditation cards for journalists, until further notice. Holders of different categories of Secretariat entry passes that have been canceled can apply for new temporary entry passes through the special cell located at Bangladesh Police, Crime Command and Control Center, DMP, 15 Abdul Gani Road, Dhaka within the next 15 days, said the notification.  

An 18-year-old youth was stabbed to death over a badminton game in Brahmanpara upazila of Cumilla, said police on Friday. The deceased Shafiullah was son of Ershad Mia of Khanka Sharif area under Brahmanpara Sadar upazila. Locals said Shafiullah’s younger brother Sanaullah and a local Hridoy locked into an argument over the badminton game in the Khanka Sharif area on Thursday night. At one stage, Hridoy allegedly slapped Sanaullah. After a while, Shafiullah accompanied by some people went to Hridoy’s house to settle the matter. At one point of argument between the groups, Hridoy and seven to eight others attacked Shafiullah with knives, leaving him critically injured. Read: Elderly man murdered over land dispute in Natore He was first taken to Brahmanpara Upazila Health Complex and later shifted to Cumilla Medical College Hospital where physicians declared him dead upon arrival. Brahmanpara police station’s Inspector (investigation) Tomas Barua confirmed the murder saying that the body was handed over to the family after autopsy at the hospital. No case has been filed as yet in this connection, the inspector added.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) arrested 16 Bangladeshis, including a child, for illegally crossing the border from India into Bangladesh through Benapole border on Thursday night. The arrestees are Mintu, 37, Roni, 28, Joni, 32, Kamal Pramanik, 22, Aslam, 32, Abu Salek, 36, Bellal Hossain, 41, Rafiqul Islam, 29, Sakibul Hasan, 17, Rashida Begum, 37, Rina Khatun, 27, Rakibul Islam, 7, Nazma Khatun, 30, Bonani Shikder, 35, Shahinur Rahman, 35, and Jihad, 27. They hail from different areas of Pirojpur, Narail, and Khulna districts. Lt. Col Saifullah Siddiqui, commanding officer of the BGB-49 Battalion, said the detainees had gone to India illegally through Satkhira border on March 18 and 21 in search of jobs. Read: 15 Bangladeshis return home thru Benapole port after serving jail in India However, they were held while trying to return to the country through Dhanjkhola border with the help of brokers. A case was filed against them and they were handed over to Benapole Port Police Station, the BGB official added.

A 16-year-old Bangladeshi was shot dead allegedly by Khasia people along the Bangladesh-India border near Jaintiapur upazila of Sylhet on Thursday. The victim, Md Maruf Mia, was the son of Md Shahabuddin of Jhingabari village in Jaintiapur upazila. The incident occurred near International Main Pillar No. 128/7, in the Minatila area along the Bangladesh-India border, in the afternoon. 13 Bangladeshis detained by India’s BSF across Sylhet border, locals say Locals reported that Maruf was injured by gunfire from the Khasia people while attempting to cross the border illegally into India around 12:30 pm. He was later rescued and taken to Sylhet M.A.G. Osmani Medical College, where he succumbed to his injuries around 3 pm. Bangladeshi man shot dead by India’s BSF along Panchagarh border Lieutenant Colonel Md. Hafizur Rahman, commander of the BGB Sylhet 48 Battalion, said that a flag meeting was held with the commandant of the Indian BSF 4 following the incident.  

A teacher of the forensic department at Sher-e-Bangla Medical College in Barishal has been sent to jail on charges of raping a private university student. The accused, Dr Shakil Ahmed, was arrested from his residence on Dhangabeshana Road in Barishal city on Thursday, according to Mizanur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Barishal Kotwali Police Station. The arrest followed a case filed earlier in the day by the victim, a final-year honors student at a private university in Dhaka and a resident of Roumari in Kurigram. 7 murdered on cargo vessel: Arrested Irfan remanded for 7 days Dr Ahmed, who hails from Masterbari under Uttar Khan Police Station in Dhaka, was subsequently produced before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Court, where the judge ordered him to be sent to jail. According to the case details, the victim first met the accused in 2016 while he was a student at Dhaka City College and she was a ninth-grade student at Habibullah Model School and College. A romantic relationship developed between them, during which he allegedly took her to various places and raped her multiple times, inducing her into a sexual relationship by promising eventual marriage. 26 arrested in Army's special anti-crime operation in Dhaka city Despite repeated discussions about marriage involving the victim’s family, Shakil reportedly delayed the commitment with various excuses. Later, he joined the forensic department at Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and relocated to Barishal. The victim claimed that even after his move to Barishal, the accused continued to exploit her, including an incident on December 24 when he summoned her to the city under the pretext of marriage. She was allegedly taken to a rented house on Dhangabeshana Road, where she was allegedly raped again. Enamul Haque, General Recording Officer (GRO) at the court, said that no bail application was filed on behalf of the accused during the hearing.

Two committees have been formed to assess the damages to the Labour and Employment Ministry’s documents in the Secretariat fire incident. A committee will assess the damages to the ministry's documents and important records, while another will determine the extent of damage to the ministry's assets. Labor and Employment Adviser Brigadier General (rtd) Dr M Sakhawat Hussain on Thursday directed the formation of the two committees while visiting building 7 of the Secretariat, said a PID handout. Following his directive, the ministry formed the two five-member committees, making its two joint secretaries as the conveners of the two bodies. The committee headed by joint secretary Morsheda Aktar will assess the document and record-related damages, while the committee headed by joint secretary Abdus Samad Al Azad will estimate the asset-related damages. Committee formed to probe Secretariat fire The Labor and Employment Adviser asked the two bodies to submit their reporters within the next seven working days. A fire broke out at the 7th building of the Bangladesh Secretariat at approximately 1:50 am on Thursday.