United News of Bangladesh

Rapid Action Bangladesh (RAB) has arrested former lawmaker for Sirajganj-2 Jannat Ara Henry and her husband Md Labu Talukdar, former chairman of Sirajganj Zilla Parishad, from Moulvibazar on Monday. A team of RAB-9 conducted a drive in Sonapur area of the town and arrested them from the house of local Delwar Hossain Bachchu at around 3:30pm, said Md Nurannabi, company commander of RAB-9 (Srimangal). They were accused in several cases including murder and assault during the mass student protest. The couple had been hiding since the fall of Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on August 5, he  added.

Sultan Mansur placed on five-day remand in Jubo Dal leader murder caseFormer MP Sultan Mohammad Mansur Ahmed has been placed on a five-day remand in connection with the murder of Jubo Dal leader Shamim, which occurred during BNP's grand rally on October 28, 2023.Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ragib Nur granted the remand after a hearing, following an appeal from the investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Tanmoy Kumar Biswas of Paltan Model Police Station, on Monday.The police had initially requested a 10-day remand, which was supported by the state prosecution. However, the court granted a five-day remand for Sultan, as there was no legal representation on his behalf during the hearing.Earlier in the day, Sultan Mansur was taken into custody by police at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport upon his return from Canada.

 Emphasising the need for transparency on the part of service providers, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Md Mainul Islam on Monday asked all to ensure transparency and accountability in case of providing services to the people. He also directed the authorities concerned to reduce the response time further so that the service of the National Emergency Service 999 reaches the service-seekers very quickly. The IGP came up with the order while talking to reporters after visiting the National Emergency Service-999 office on Abdul Goni Road in the morning. Additional Inspector General YM Belalur Rahman of Telecom and Information Management (T&IM) of Bangladesh police and other officials were present there. He also urged the authorities concerned to enhance the scope of services through the social networking sites, different apps and platforms. National Emergency Service-999 was introduced in the country in 2017, as a one-stop service for calling police, the Fire Service or an ambulance in emergencies. Since its inauguration, over 5.7 crore calls have been received of which 83.08 percent was provided by police, 8.15 percent by fire service and 8.78 percent for ambulance.  

The High Court on Monday ordered the formation of a high-level task force to investigate the murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi that remained unsolved for 12 years. The court directed the Home Ministry to execute the decision after removing the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) from the investigation. The High Court bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Muhammad Mahbub Ul Islam passed the order following a petition filed on behalf of the Home Ministry. Deputy Attorney General Barrister Redwan Ahmed confirmed the details of the order. Earlier, on Sunday, advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir was appointed as the new lawyer for the case. The plaintiff, Nowsher Roman, Runi’s brother, said that Mohammad Shishir Monir will now lead the legal battle to uncover the mystery behind the Sagar-Runi murder. Advocate Shishir Monir said, "We will begin work to solve the mystery behind the murder. As part of this, we will soon hold a meeting with the investigation officers, and we will also fight the legal battle in both the lower and higher courts." The submission deadline of investigation report in the Sagar-Runi murder case has seen extended 113 times with the next hearing date scheduled for October 15. On the night of February 11, 2012, Sagar Sarowar, news editor at Maasranga Television, and Meherun Runi, senior reporter at ATN Bangla, were brutally murdered in their rented apartment in West Rajabazar, Dhaka. Their only son, Mahir Sarowar Megh (then 5 years old), was present in the house at the time of the killings. Runi's brother, Nowsher Ali Roman, filed a murder case at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station. Initially, the case was assigned to Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station for investigation. Three days later, it was handed over to the Detective Branch (DB) of police. After DB failed to make progress, the case was transferred to RAB on April 18, 2012. Police arrested Tanvir Rahman in connection with the murder case on October 1, 2012. Later, he secured bail in 2014. The seven other suspects are Rafiqul Islam, Bakul Mia, Abu Syed, Mintu alias Baggira Mintu alias Masum Mintu, Quamrul Hasan alias Arun, security guard Enam Ahmed alias Humayun Kabir and Palash Rudra Pal. Out of the eight people arrested in connection with the case, two were granted bail, while the others are in jail. RAB Additional SP Khandaker Md. Shafiqul Alam was appointed as the seventh investigation officer the case on July 7, 2019.

The government has suspended the jail sentence of veteran journalist, political analyst and writer Shafik Rehman and Mizanur Rahman Bhuiyan alias M R Bhuiyan, in a case over ‘conspiring to kidnap and kill’ Sajeeb Wazed Joy, the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son. The Security Services Department in the Ministry of Home Affairs, issued a notification to this end on Sunday, in the light of an opinion from the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. The sentence for the case filed at Paltan Model Police Station has been stayed for a year under the power bestowed by section 401 (1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, based on the opinion from the Ministry of Law Justice and Parliamentary Affairs provided the accused surrender to the court, reads the notice. The veteran journalist was arrested on April 16, 2016, and sentenced to seven years in prison in the case. After being arrested in that case, Shafik Rehman had to stay in jail for five months in 2016 but he moved to the UK that same year after being released on bail. Shafik Rehman, also former editor of the newsweekly-turned-daily ‘Jai Jai Din’, returned home on Aug 18 this year after living in the UK for six years.

The High Court has directed S Alam Group, its shareholder directors, and their family members to submit a comprehensive list of their immovable assets within the next four weeks. The order was issued to the Secretary of the Ministry of Law and the Director General of the Directorate of Registration. This directive came during a preliminary hearing on Sunday from a bench comprising Justice Md. Kamrul Hossain Mollah and Justice Kazi Zinat Haque. The court also issued a rule asking why there should not be a freeze on the sale or transfer of shares held by S Alam Group’s shareholder directors and their family members. The court’s order follows a writ petition filed on September 17. The petition demanded that the group disclose its immovable assets and sought a ban on their sale or transfer, citing concerns over money laundering. The court’s rule also asked the authorities to provide details on the total amount of loans disbursed to S Alam Group, its directors, and their family members, as well as the steps taken to recover any laundered funds. Bangladesh Bank, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), and the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) have been given four weeks to respond to the rule. Barrister Md. Rokonuzzaman, representing the petitioner, confirmed the court’s orders, while Deputy Attorney General Tanim Khan represented the state. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) was represented by lawyer Shaheen Ahmed. Earlier, during the hearing on September 22, ACC’s counsel informed the court that they had initiated an investigation into the money laundering allegations against S Alam Group. In response, the court had postponed the hearing and instructed the ACC to update the court on their findings by today, September 29. Following the latest hearing, the High Court issued its order and rule.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Md Mainul Hasan on Sunday said processes have already started to take action against the police personnel who haven’t joined their workplace yet. He made the remark while responding to a question from reporters at the opening ceremony of the CRAB-Walton Football Festival at Paltan Outer Stadium in Dhaka. The DMP commissioner said they arrested many criminals and recovered firearms from Geneva Camp in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur after conducting drives Replying to a query, he said police have already started working with a fresh endeavour to improve law and order in the capital. He warned that action will be taken upon investigation against the top criminals who were freed once they get involved in crimes further. Chaired by CRAB President Kamruzzaman Khan, General Secretary Sirajul Islam, former presidents Abu Saleh Akan and Abul Khayer, DMP’s senior officials, among others, were present at the event.  

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested president of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) Khalilur Rahman from Mymensingh’s Bhaluka on Saturday afternoon. Mashihur Rahman, assistant superintendent of police at RAB-9, confirmed the information saying that being tipped-off, members of RAB-9 and RAB-14 conducted a joint drive and arrested him from Bhaluka around 1 pm. He is accused in a case filed with Sylhet’s Kotwali police station, he said, adding that the arrestee was handed over to the police station. Efforts are on to arrest the rest of the accused in the case, the RAB officer added. On September 25, the RAB personnel also arrested general secretary of the SUST unit of the BCL Sajibur Rahman from Narsingdi’s Raipura.

A Dhaka court on Sunday ordered Mahmudur Rahman, editor of the now-defunct Amar Desh, to be sent to jail after he surrendered in a case related to the abduction and attempted murder of Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Mahbubul Haque passed the order after rejecting Rahman’s bail plea, according to plaintiff’s lawyer Syed Joynul Abedin. Mahmudur Rahman appeared in court around 10:50 am, surrendering through his lawyers with a request for bail. However, after hearing arguments from both sides, the court denied the bail and sent him to jail. Earlier, on September 17, 2023, Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Asaduzzaman Noor had sentenced Mahmudur Rahman to seven years in prison in the same case. Veteran journalist Shafik Rehman and three others were also sentenced to the same penalty. Mahmudur Rahman returned to Bangladesh on Friday morning, following over five and a half years in self-imposed exile. Rahman has long been a critic of the then Awami League government, facing over 124 cases. Both he and his wife were sentenced to seven years in prison in one of those cases. Rahman was arrested in June 2010 and again in April 2013, during which the government shut down Amar Desh.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mainul Islam has provided assurances that the militants who secured bail will remain under surveillance. "If they engage in militancy again, strict action will be taken," the IGP said. Speaking about the ongoing joint operation with members of the army, the IGP said that 238 weapons have been recovered so far, and 75% of the looted police weapons have been retrieved. He added that wherever weapon users may be, they will be brought under strict legal measures. The IGP made this statement during a views-exchange meeting with senior police officials of Chattogram Division in the conference room of the Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) headquarters, on Saturday afternoon. He addressed journalists in the conference room of the CMP Commissioner's office after the meeting. He also said strict action will be taken if anyone takes the law into their own hands under the pretext of mob justice. He further stated that the upcoming Durga Puja festival will be celebrated peacefully, and overall security will be ensured. "Everyone must remain vigilant to prevent any incidents that could disrupt communal harmony, and all subversive activities must be stopped." "We aim to restore public confidence through our policing efforts. We truly want to be friends of the people," he added. In response to a journalist’s question, the IGP clarified that not every accused will be arrested just because a case has been filed. Arrests will only be made if the investigation finds involvement, and no innocent person will be arrested.