law-order
5 held for black marketing of train tickets at Dhaka railway station
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) has detained five men from the city's Kamalapur Railway Station for alleged black marketing of train tickets ahead of Eid.
Acting on a tip-off that a group was selling tickets of different trains at inflated prices taking advantage of the Eid rush, a Rab-3 team conducted a drive at the railway station at 8.45 pm Monday and detained the men.
The detainees were identified as Md Liton Mia, 37, Md Shah Lam, 34, Md Imran, 20, Md Abu Taher, 26, and Md Zahidur Rahman Shakib, 40, Rab-3 said in a release Tuesday.
Also read: Two RNB members held for selling tickets in black market
Four train tickets and Tk 6,927 in cash were seized from the detainees, said Rab-3. During questioning, the accused admitted to the crime.
Legal action will be taken against the detainees, said the release.
Also read: Measures to be taken if complaints found over Eid online ticketing: Minister
HC to hear Destiny MD’s appeal against sentence
The High Court has accepted the appeal of Rafiqul Amin , Managing Director of Destiny Multipurpose Co-Operative Society Ltd against the sentence of imprisonment with fine given to him by a lower court in a case filed over money laundering.
The court also suspended the order to pay Tk 200 crore as fine by Rafiqul Amin.
The bench of Justice SM Kuddus Zaman and Justice Md Riaz Uddin Khan passed the order on June 22, said Ujjal Kumar Bhowmik, Rafiqul Amin’s lawyer, on Monday.
“The court has accepted to hear the appeal and also summoned the case record from the trial court,” he said.
Also read: Court directs to send Destiny director Farah Diba to jail
On May 12, a Dhaka court sentenced all 46 accused, including Destiny Group MD 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 Tk 2,300 crore.
Rafiqul Amin was given 12 years imprisonment with Tk 200 crore fine and his wife Farah Diba was awarded eight-years imprisonment in this case.
On June 16, Rafiqul Amin moved the High Court against the sentence.
Of the 46 accused, Rafiqul Amin, Mohammad Hossain, M Harun-ur-Rashid, Jasmine Akhter, Ziaul Haque and Saiful Islam are currently in jail
While, Didarul Alam, one of the accused, went home after the verdict was announced as his jail term was completed.
The remaining 39 accused in this case are absconding.
On 31 July 2012, two separate cases were filed with the Kalabagan police station against Rafiqul and other officials of Destiny on the allegation 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 complaint, 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.
Female UP member ‘gang-raped’ in Faridpur, one held
A female member of reserved seat of Buraich Union Parishad in Alphadanga upazila has allegedly been gang-raped in Boalmari upazila of Faridpur.
Police arrested one of the culprits identified as Mahabub Alam, 30, son of Abdul Hoque of South Karmargram in Boalmari municipality.
The rape survivor aged 35 years is a resident of Faliya village of the union.
Sources said the UP member went to Amritonagar of Gunboha union under Boalmari upazila Sunday afternoon for visiting her relative.
While returning home she got puzzled due to darkness at Bouttala of Gunboha union and asked some youths who were sitting there to help find the right path.
Read: One more held over Narail teacher humiliation
In the name of showing the road, they took her to an isolated place ,raped her by turns and then fled. Later, locals rescued her.
Abul Wahab, officer-in-charge (OC) of Boalmari police station said that the female UP member logged a complaint with the police station Monday morning and police registered a case.
The rape survivor was sent to Faridpur Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical College for medical test, he said.
Suman Kar, Assistant Commissioner (Madhukhali-Boalkhai ciricle) of Faridpur district police said drives are on to arrest the other accused in the case.
One more held over Narail teacher humiliation
Police have arrested another accused in a case over the humiliation of acting principal of Mirzapur United College Swapan Kumar Biswas in Narail Sadar Upazila.
The arrestee is Nur Nabi, 45, son of late Fayez Chowkidar of Gobra village in Kalora union of Narail Sadar upazila.
Police arrested him from Manihar area of Jashore around 11:30 pm Sunday, said Prabir Kumar Roy, superintendent of Narail district police.
He was taken to Sadar police station. With the fresh one, five people have so far been arrested in this connection.
Meanwhile, Sub-inspector of Mirzapur police outpost in-charge Mohammad Morshalin has been attached to Narail police lines as he is the plaintiff of the case, added the officer.
Earlier, police arrested phone mechanic Shaon, auto-rickshaw driver Rimon, madrasa teachers Monirul Islam and Rahmat Ullah Rony.
On Sunday, the court put the four accused arrested earlier on three-day remand each.
Read: Narail teacher's humiliation: Sadar thana OC stand-released
On June 18, a Hindu student of Mirzapur United Degree College made a post on Facebook supporting suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
There was day-long unrest in the college over the post and rumours that acting principal Swapan Kumar Biswas had sided with the student, following which police escorted him out of the campus. At one stage, a group of people forced him to wear a garland of shoes.
A video of the incident also went viral on social media that sparked huge criticism.
Later, the accused, who made the Facebook post, was arrested and a case was filed against him under the Digital Security Act.
On June 26, two probe committees were formed led by Additional District Magistrate Jubayer Hossain Chowdhury and by Additional Superintendent of Police Md Riazul Islam.
On June 27, three more were arrested in another case filed at the Sadar Police Station police for setting teachers’ vehicles on fire and obstructing police duty.
Police also arrested Rahmat Ullah Roni, the prime accused in this case, from Khulna on June 29.
Restriction on motorcycle driving, ride-sharing for a week during Eid
Motorcycles will not be allowed to ply on highways without legitimate reason for a week from three days ahead of Eid till three days after it and ride-sharing will also remain restricted outside approved areas.
The decision was made in a meeting led by Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader at the ministry on Sunday for ensuring safe and unhampered journey during Eid.
According to the decision motorcycles will not be allowed to drive outside their registered district but for inevitable necessities they can drive after taking approval from police.
Obaidul Quader said law enforcers will take necessary measures for those who will defy the order.
Freight trucks, covered vans, and lorries will also remain banned on highways during the period except those carrying essential commodities, raw material, medicine, fuel, RMG and export goods, perishable items and sacrificial animals, said the minister joining the meeting virtually.
He directed the concerned authority to increase the number of booths in the toll plazas of Padma bridge, Bangabandhu Expressway, Bangabandhu Bridge, Meghna and Gomti Bridge to deal with the traffic pressure during the Eid rush.
He also directed to take immediate action if any complaint of demanding extra fare in public transport is received.
Obaidul Quader requested the transport leaders and workers to not carry sacrificial animals in unfit vehicles and asked the concerned ministry to make arrangements to keep the CNG filling stations open all the time.
He urged the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association(BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) leaders to provide holidays to garment workers in phases.
Govt to lower age bracket for children to punish teen gangs
As juvenile delinquency and teenage gangs marked a rise in the country, the government is going to reduce the legal age of children from 18 years by amending the Child Act 2013 so that legal action can be taken against them for serious offences.
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque came up with the announcement after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Law and Order on Sunday afternoon.
He said the meeting held at the conference room of the Home Ministry presided over by him took the decision considering the incidents of juvenile crimes in the country.
Mozammel said different teen gangs have been indulging in various offences in the country. “So, in the context of our country, we think that some amendments should be made in the Children Act.”
As per international law, he said persons up to 18 years of age are children, and action cannot be taken against them. "But the context of our country does not match with the international perspective.”
Referring to the recent murder of a teacher by a 14-year-old tenth-grader student in Savar, the minister said action now cannot be taken against him as he is a child as per both the international and local laws.
“That’s why we think this act needs to be amended for practical reasons. From that point of view, we have drawn the attention of our wise law minister and through him we’re drawing the attention of the court," he said.
After the independence of the country, Mozammel said Bangabandhu enacted a law determining the age of children up to 14. “But it has now been made 18 years in accordance with international law. Considering that, we have sought the advice of the law minister on how to make new law in this regard.”
Replying to a question, he said their meeting decided to amend the Children Act 2013. “I personally think that children should be up to 14 years of age. But no decision was taken at the meeting in this regard. We only decided to reduce it from 18 years.”
The minister voiced concern that the number of teenage gangs is increasing while they are getting addicted to drugs. “Even, girls are also getting addicted to drugs, but they’re very few in number.”
Eight years back, the government enacted the Children Act 2013 repealing the 1974 Children Act with the aim of bringing the country in line with provisions of international instruments.
In the Act, the age of the child has been increased from 16 to 18 years.
As per the act, no child shall be sentenced to death and imprisonment for life or imprisonment, and only the Child Court is empowered to hold the trial of an offence if a child is a victim or a witness in a case.
Coast Guard rescues five stranded fishermen off Barguna
Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) Sunday rescued five fishermen from the Bay of Bengal after their fishing boat was stranded in the sea estuary.
BCG Station Nidraskina under the BCG South Zone spotted the boat while conducting an operation near Pakshidia in Barguna's Taltali at 2pm to seize returning boats that continued fishing defying a ban, Lieutenant Commander Khandaker Munif Taki, media officer at BCG headquarters, said.
Read: Councillor’s son arrested for killing wife in Chattogram
The fishermen said they were stranded after their boat's engine went out of order in Nidrarkhal.
"All the rescued fishermen are residents of the village Baro Ankujan Para of Taltoli. The rescued boat was sent back and fishermen to their families," Khandaker Munif said.
Councillor’s son arrested for killing wife in Chattogram
Police arrested a councillor’s son over allegations of killing his wife on Saturday night.
The arrestee has been identified as Nawshadul Amin, son of Nurul Amin, councillor of Saraipara ward no 12 under Chattogram’s Pahartoli police station.
Prior to the arrest, police recovered the body of Rehnuma Ferdous, wife of Nawshadul, from Nurul Amin’s house on the same day.
Rehnuma’s family has alleged that the deceased was killed in a planned way.
“They(Nurul Amin’s family) are saying that my daughter committed suicide, which is nothing but a drama,” said Tareq Imtiaz, father of the deceased.
Read: Smuggled goods worth Tk 131.58 cr seized by BGB in June
Tareq filed a case accusing Nawshadul and his mother for the killing with Pahartoli police station, based on which the arrest was made, said Officer In-charge (OC) of Pahartoli police station Mostafizur Rahman.
“We will ask the court to take Nawshadul into remand,” added the OC.
Smuggled goods worth Tk 131.58 cr seized by BGB in June
Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) seized smuggled goods, arms, ammunition and drugs worth Tk 131.58 crore across the country in June.
The seized drugs include 11,78,286 Yaba pills, 5.35 Kg crystal meth, 29,876 bottles of phensedyl, 11,667 bottles of foreign liquor, 127 liters of local liquor, 2,482 cans of beer, 2,949 kg cannabis, 8.4 gm heroin, 36,573 injections, 5,400 Eskuf syrups, 521 bottles of MkDil/Cofidil, 8,221 Anegra/Senegra tablets, 92,406 different types of medicines and 93,111 tablets, said a BGB media release on Sunday.
Other smuggled items include 18.89 kg gold, 5 kg silver, 86,423 cosmetic items, 2,552 imitation jewelries, 10,145 sharees, 9,379 three-piece/shirt-piece/bed-sheet/blankets, 5,249 readymade garments, 1,210 cft timber, 4,909 kg of tea leaves, 31,600 kg of coal, 5 touch stone made statues, 770 bottles of pesticides, 3 trucks/covered vans, 5 private cars/microbuses, 3 pickup vans, 35 CNG/battery autorickshaws.
Also read: BGB-BSF border conference underway in Jashore
Seized arms include seven pistols, one revolver, five guns, two guns, 14 rounds of ammunition, two magazines and five cocktails.
Meanwhile, BGB arrested 228 smugglers , 268 Bangladeshi nationals and 15 Indian nationals who tried to cross border illegally.
Also read: BGB seizes smuggled goods worth Tk 132 crore in May
Narail teacher's humiliation: 4 put on 3-day remand
A Narail court on Sunday placed four accused in a case over the humiliation of a college teacher in the district on a three-day remand.
The accused are mobile phone mechanic Shaon, auto-rickshaw driver Rimon, madrasa teachers Monirul Islam and Rahmat Ullah Rony.
Read:Narail teacher's humiliation: Sadar thana OC stand-released
Narail Judicial Magistrate Court-2 Judge Amatul Morsheda passed the order after the investigating officer of the case sought a five-day remand to interrogate them.
On June 18, a Hindu student of Mirzapur United Degree College made a post on Facebook supporting suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
There was day-long unrest in the college over the post and rumours that acting principal Swapan Kumar Biswas had sided with the student, following which police escorted him out of the campus. At one stage, a group of people forced him to wear a garland of shoes.
A video of the incident also went viral on social media that sparked huge criticism.
Later, the accused, who made the Facebook post, was arrested and a case was filed against him under the Digital Security Act.
On June 26, two probe committees were formed led by Additional District Magistrate Jubayer Hossain Chowdhury and by Additional Superintendent of Police Md Riazul Islam.
Read: Directive issued to stop using mobile phones in Narail schools, colleges and madrashas
On June 27, three more were arrested in another case filed at the Sadar Police Station police for setting teachers’ vehicles on fire and obstructing police duty.
Police also arrested Rahmat Ullah Roni, the prime accused in this case, from Khulna on June 29.