United News of Bangladesh

A woman was hacked to death by some unidentified miscreants at Rathura village in Ghior upazila of Manikganj district on Wednesday. The deceased was Laila Arzu, 62, wife of Sekandar Ali, a resident of Rathura village in Ghior upazila. Sekandar Ali, the victim's husband, said that his wife had been suffering from cancer for a long time. Upon returning home from a local market around 8:00 am, he found his wife's body lying in a pool of blood on the floor next to the bed, said her husband. Read: Grocer hacked to death in Natore Rafiqul Islam, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Ghior Police Station, said police along with detectives reached the scene to investigate the incident upon receiving the news. The OC said the victim's body was sent to Manikganj Medical College Hospital for an autopsy and investigation is underway.

A Dhaka court on Wednesday sentenced Rafiqul Amin, managing director of Destiny Multipurpose Co-Operative Society Ltd, and 18 others to 12 years of jail in a misappropriation case. Judge of Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 Md Rabiul Alam handed down the judgment in the presence of Rafiqul and two others. The court also fined the convicts Tk 4, 515.57 crore, a double amount of money which they had laundered. The other convicts included Destiny’s Director Lt Gen (retd) Harunur Rashid, Chairman Md. Hossain, Vice Chairmen Mohammad Gorfanul Haque, Md. Sayed-ur-Rahman, Mezbah Uddin Swapan, Engr. Sheikh Tayebur Rahman and Gopal Chandra Biswas, Directors Syed Sazzad Hossain, Irfan Ahmed Sunny, Rafiqul’s wife Farah Diba and Jamshed Ara Chowdhury, Profit Sharing Distributor Md. Jasim Uddin Bhuiyan, Destiny Multipurpose Co-operative Society General Secretary Zakir Hossain and Member Abul Kalam Azad, Diamond Executives SM Ahsanul Kabir Biplob, Jobayer Sohel and Abdul Mannan and Crown Executive Mosaddek Ali Khan. HC approves appointment of new Destiny-2000 chairman All the convicts except Rafiqul Amin, his wife, and Mohammad Hossan were tried in absentia. Lt. Gen (retd) Harunur, who secured bail earlier, was also present at the court during the delivery of the judgment. The court issued arrest warrants for the arrest of those who are absconding in the case. On May 12, 2022, a Dhaka court sentenced all 46 accused, including Rafiqul Amin, his wife Farah Diba, and Destiny-2000 president Lt Gen Harun (retd), to different terms of imprisonment in the money laundering case and fined them over Tk 2,300 crore. Rafiqul Amin was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment with Tk 200 crore fine and his wife Farah Diba was awarded eight years of imprisonment in this case. On June 16, Rafiqul Amin moved the High Court against the sentence. On 31 July 2012, two separate cases were filed with the Kalabagan police station against Rafiqul and other officials of Destiny on charge of embezzling money from the investors in the name of Destiny Multipurpose Cooperative Society and Destiny Tree Plantation Limited and laundering it. According to the case statement, Destiny group collected Tk 1,901 crore from the investors and embezzled Tk 1,861.45 crore of it. As a result, Its eight lakh investors faced loss.

A Natore court on Wednesday acquitted BNP leader Ruhul Kuddus Talukdar Dulu in a case filed over vandalism and arson attack in Natore. Natore Additional District and Sessions Judge AFM Maruf Chowdhury passed the order after hearing a petition. Besides, the court also exempted 67 others leaders and activists of BNP from the charges. Court orders to freeze the 68 bank accounts of S Alam, family On February 6, Sabbir Ahmed Gama, nephew of Dulu, was killed at Ramsharkazipur village in Naldanga upazila of Natore district. Miscreants attacked the house of the accused in the murder case the following day. Asaduzzaman, a leader of Awami League, filed a case in this connection. On July 26, 2007, a court sentenced Dulu and 67 others to seven years imprisonment in the case.

The government is intensifying its drive against controversial officials within law enforcement agencies and other government agencies, said Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Wednesday. “Those responsible are being held gradually. Today, we detained Motiur, infamously known as 'Chhagol Motiur,' who had managed to evade capture until now. Others will also face justice in due course,” he said while talking to reporters after inspecting the Ansar and VDP Headquarters at Khilgaon in the capital. Jahangir Alam revealed that those who were involved in misconduct during the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and the events of August 5 are being identified and brought to justice. When asked about allegations that some police officers accused of misconduct had been promoted or transferred rather than disciplined, the adviser assured that thorough investigations were underway. “Inquiries are ongoing. Based on evidence, no one will be spared. Some have already been arrested, but the process takes time as many of the accused remain in hiding,” he said. Read: Goat scandal: Ex-NBR member Matiur Rahman, wife arrested He called on media outlets to assist by submitting any lists of controversial officials in the Police Headquarters for further investigation. The adviser also appreciated journalists for countering misinformation and propaganda from neighbouring countries with accurate reporting. He encouraged greater efforts in investigative journalism to hold individuals accountable.

The Appellate Division on Wednesday acquitted Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman and others in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case scrapping the punishment handed down by the High Court and a trial court earlier.  A five-member bench of the Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed, pronounced the verdict, said senior lawyer Joynul Abedin who stood for the defendants. The court in its observation said the case was filed out of vengeance against the accused. On Tuesday, the court concluded the hearing on the appeals of Khaleda and others against their conviction in graft case and fixed Wednesday to deliver the judgment. The hearing on the appeals began on January 7, with the court addressing the separate appeals of Khaleda Zia, Sharafuddin Ahmed and Kazi Salimul Haque Kamal. Senior lawyers Joynul Abedin, Mahbub Uddin Khokon, M Badaruddin Badal, and Kaiser Kamal, among others, represented Khaleda Zia during the hearing. Barrister Mohammad Ruhul Quddus Kajal appeared on behalf of Khaleda and Sharafuddin Ahmed, while senior lawyer SM Shahjahan represented Kazi Salimul Haque Kamal. Additional Attorney General Mohammad Arshadur Rauf and Aneek R Haque represented the state while lawyer Asif Hasan represented the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Zia Orphanage graft case: Judgment on Khaleda's appeal Wednesday Khaleda, also a former prime minister, filed the leave to appeal petitions with the Appellate Division on March 14, 2019 through his lawyer challenging the HC verdict. Khaleda Zia was initially imprisoned on February 8, 2018, when a special court in Dhaka sentenced her to five years in prison for her involvement in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft incident. Later, in response to an appeal by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the High Court on October 30 of the same year raised her jail term to 10 years. The Graft Case The Zia Orphanage Trust graft case was filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission in July 2008, accusing Khaleda of misappropriating over Tk2.10 crore that was received as grants for orphans via a foreign bank. In August 2011, the ACC filed the Zia Charitable Trust graft case with Tejgaon Police Station accusing Khaleda and three others of raising funds for the trust from unknown sources and abusing power. Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the government, through an executive order on March 25, 2020, temporarily released Khaleda Zia from jail by suspending her sentence, on the condition that she remain at her Gulshan residence and not leave the country. Since then, her release term was extended every six months following the family's pleas. On August 6 last year, Khaleda Zia was completely freed by an order of President Mohammed Shahabuddin. The President passed the order under Article 49 of the Bangladesh Constitution, according to a gazette issued by the home ministry on August 6, last year.

Former NBR member Matiur Rahman, who is better known for his son's goat scandal, has been arrested from Bashundhara in the capital, police said on Wednesday. He and his wife, former upazila chairman Layla Kaniz, were arrested by the DB (Detective Branch) of DMP on Tuesday. The information was confirmed by Muhammad Talebur Rahman, DC (Media and Public Relations) of DMP. Read more: Goat Affair: Govt directive bars Matiur from participating in Sonali Bank board meeting He did not provide any details about the arrest of the couple who faces corruption allegations. Matiur went into early retirement last year amid graft allegations that surfaced after his son bought a goat at Tk15 lakh for Eid-ul-Azha festival.

Seven people, including three in gunfire, were injured in a clash between two groups over drug peddling and supremacy in Rupganj upazila of Narayanganj on Tuesday noon, said police. The bullet-hit are Rakib alias Gui Rakib, 25, son of Shamsul Haque of Machhimpur area, two brothers Bijoy, 20, and Babu, 24, sons of Goljar Hossain of the same area under the upazila. The identities of the rest injured could not be known but all the injured were undergoing treatment at several hospitals. Locals and police said there had long been a dispute between Riaz and Md Ali groups over the illegal drug dealing and trying to establish territorial dominance. Read: ‘UPDF member’ killed in Rangamati ‘gunfight’ Followers of the feuding groups locked into a clash in Machhimpur area under Murapara union at noon and exploded some 25 to 30 hand grenades, creating panic among locals. At one stage, both groups opened fire targeting each other, leaving the trio injured, he said. Four others were injured in attacks with machetes during the clash. Read more: Woman killed in “drug-related gunfight” in Dhaka’s Pallabi area Confirming the clash, Rupganj Police Station's Officer-in-Charge Liaqat Ali said that additional police personnel were deployed to ward off any further unwanted incidents. Efforts were underway to arrest those involved with the incident, he said.

A Dhaka court on Tuesday asked to freeze 68 bank accounts belonging to the businessman Saiful Alam and his family. Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Zakir Hossain Galib passed the order following a petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission. The court also asked to confiscate the 16 properties for the state. Deputy-director of ACC, Siffat Uddin, filed a petition seeking to confiscate the properties of S Alam. Prosecutor Mahmud Hossain Jahangir stood for the ACC. ACC files case against 58, including S Alam’s son, over Tk 1,092cr embezzlement Saiful Alam, who has been domiciled in Singapore for a number of years now, claims to have given up Bangladeshi citizenship. was singled out by Bangladesh Bank governor Ahsan Mansur as "the first person who systematically looted banks (in Bangladesh)." In an interview with the globally influential Financial Times newspaper of London, Dr Mansur said Saiful Alam, founder and chair of S Alam Group, and his associates had “siphoned off” at least $10 billion “as a minimum” from the banking system, after taking control of banks with the help of the DGFI. The properties asked to be confiscated include the 10-story S Alam Tower in Gulshan, a six-story building on one bigha of land in Dhanmondi, 4-story building in Dhanmondi Lake Circus, a flat in Gulshan; 7,888 acres of land in Gulshan-2, seven-story building in Uttara Residential area, 3 katha plot in Bhatara Bashundhara Residential area and immeasurable stretches of land.

The Detective Branch (DB) of police has arrested five members of a gang involved in stealing and snatching mobile phones from passengers aboard public transport in Dhaka. The arrests were made early on Tuesday in a targeted operation. The arrestees are Md Ekhlas (27), Md Alauddin (32), Md Al Amin (22), Hridoy Khan (26) and Md Naeem (25), according to a press release from DB. Based on a tip-off, the suspects were arrested from a house in Bhatara at around 2:45am. During the arrest, police recovered 24 stolen mobile phones of various brands from their possession. Preliminary investigations revealed that the gang used a coordinated method to carry out the thefts. Members of the group would board public buses and create disturbances by jamming or pushing the vehicle, a tactic known as 'thekman'. 10-truck arms haul cases: Babar, 4 others acquitted in another case One member, referred to as the 'machineman', would then target a passenger, stealing their mobile phone. Following the theft, two to three individuals, known as 'passmen', would pass the stolen mobile phone to the 'bagman', who would store the phones in a bag and move them to a secure location. A regular case has been filed against them at Bhatara Police Station, under the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).

A Dhaka court on Tuesday acquitted former MP Golam Faruk Ovi in a case over the murder of model Syeda Tania Mahbub Tinni in 2002. Judge of the Dhaka Second Additional District and Session Judge Shahinur Akter passed the order as allegations brought against the Jatiya Party leader could not be proved. Advocate Syed Md Abu Zafar Rizvi, a state counsel, expressed dissatisfaction over the court order. “Decision for filing an appeal petition will be taken after seeing the full text of the verdict.” Ovi remains absconding in the case. Judgment deferred in Model Tinni murder case Earlier on November 15, 2021, the court set January 14 to announce the verdict in the case. On November 10, 2002, Tinni was found dead near pillar no. 11 of the Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge-1 over Buriganga River in Keraniganj. Md Shafi Uddin, the then assistant sub-inspector of Keraniganj Model Police Station filed a case the following day. Tinni murder: Key suspect held in Magura The case was handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on November 24, 2002. The then investigating officer of the case Mozammel Haque submitted a chargesheet against Golam Faruk Ovi, a former MP and student leader, on November 8, 2008.