United News of Bangladesh

Former Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujon was arrested on Monday night from Bangladesh Specialized Hospital in Dhaka’s Shyamoli. Sujon was taken into custody by law enforcement officials from Room 833 of the hospital. Officer-in-Charge of Jatrabari Police Station, Md. Faruk Ahmed, confirmed the matter. There is an ongoing case against the former minister. "Legal proceedings are underway, and further steps will follow in due course," added the OC.

Former president of the Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, Shahriar Kabir, was arrested from Dhaka’s Tejgaon area on Monday night. Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Tejgaon Police Station, Md. Mobarak Hossain, confirmed the matter. Kabir was arrested from a house in the Tejgaon area. There is a case against him. He will be presented in court for that case, the OC said.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have arrested Delwar Hossain Rubel, an accused in the recent attack on student protesters, from Tongi in Gazipur. Rubel, identified as the 45th accused in the filed case, is alleged to have opened fire with a pistol during the anti-discrimination student movement in Sector 11 in Dhaka’s Uttara on August 3. ASP Imran Khan of the RAB Headquarters (media wing), confirmed the matter on Tuesday.

Former cabinet members Asaduzzaman Noor and Advocate Mahbub Ali have been sent to jail in a murder case filed at Mirpur Model Police Station. The case was filed over the death of a hotel employee Md. Siam Sardar during the anti-discrimination student movement. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mosharraf Hossain's court, after a hearing, rejected their bail plea and ordered them to be sent to jail on Monday. Before this, the investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Abdur Rahman of Mirpur Model Police Station, requested that the accused be kept in custody. The prosecution requested the rejection of the bail, while the defense lawyers sought bail for the accused. After hearing both sides, the court rejected the bail application and ordered the accused to be sent to jail. The defense lawyer, Tanvir Ul Islam, confirmed the matter. Former Cultural Minister Asaduzzaman Noor was arrested from Nawraton Colony on Bailey Road at 11 PM on Sunday night. Former State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mahbub Ali was arrested by detectives from Segunbagicha in the capital. On September 12, Siam Sardar's father, Md. Sohag Sardar, filed a case mentioning the names of 114 individuals. Asaduzzaman Noor is the 8th named accused in the case. Notable other accused include Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, Harun ur Rashid, Monir Hossain, Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, and Kamal Ahmed Majumdar. The case alleges that on July 18, at around 11 PM, in front of Abu Taleb School in Mirpur-10, Awami League and its affiliated leaders and workers, following the instructions of Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, opened fire indiscriminately. At that time, Siam Sardar was returning home from his hotel job and was shot and killed.

Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested the former member of parliament for Rajshahi-4, Engineer Md. Enamul Haque from Dhaka’s Adabor He was arrested over attacking students and the public during the Anti-discrimination Student Movement in Rajshahi's Bagmara on August 5, said ASP Imran Khan of the RAB Headquarters (media wing) on Monday.

Four people, including the managing director of Ekattor TV, Mozammel Babu, and the editor of Bhorer Kagoj, Shyamal Dutta, have been apprehended by locals while attempting to cross the border into India through the Dhobaura border in Mymensingh. Locals apprehended them in the border area and handed them over to the Dhobaura Police Station on Sunday night. Dhobaura police station Officer-in-Charge Chan Mia confirmed the matter.Police reported that they arrived at the Dhobaura border in a private car at night with the intent of illegally crossing the border. Upon realizing this, the locals held four individuals, including Ekattor TV's managing director Mozammel Haque Babu, Bhorer Kagoj newspaper editor Shyamal Dutta, senior reporter of Ekattor TV Mahbubur Rahman, and the private car's driver Selim. Earlier, on August 6, Shyamal Dutta, along with his wife and daughter, was sent back from the immigration while trying to enter India through Akhaura in Brahmanbaria.

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested a former UP chairman from Dhaka's Fakirapool area on Sunday for his involvement in a violent attack on students and the public during the recent Anti-discrimination Student Movement. The arrestee is Md Mazharul Islam Masud, former chairman of Danapatuli Union Parishad of Kishoreganj Sadar, said ASP Imran Khan of RAB Headquarters (media wing). Masud ordered the attack and firing on the students during the anti-discrimination student movement at Kishoreganj Sadar on August 4, added the RAB official.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner, Md Mainul Hasan, has said that recording a case at a police station does not automatically necessitate the immediate arrest of the accused named in the FIR. He emphasized that arrests will be made based on the findings of thorough investigations. In addition, he announced that cases will be filed concerning recent incidents in Dhaka, including killings of policemen, arson attack on police station, and looting of firearms. These remarks were made during a meeting with members of the executive committee of the Bangladesh Crime Reporters Association (CRAB) at the DMP headquarters on Sunday morning. “Criminal events never expire,” the DMP Commissioner asserted, adding, “There will be cases filed for the killing of police officers and the looting at the police stations.” Addressing concerns about cases filed en masse and the inclusion of journalists’ names in FIRs, the DMP Commissioner clarified, “Just because a name appears in the FIR does not mean an immediate arrest is warranted. We will proceed with collective investigations before taking any action. Instructions have been issued accordingly, and all cases will be addressed based on thorough investigations.”

Though the government had set September 3 as the deadline to surrender licensed firearms three former Awami League (AL) lawmakers and other AL leaders  in Chattogram have not yet deposited those. The former MPs are Mostafizur Rahman Chowdhury, Abu Reza Mohammad Nezam Uddin Nadvi and Khadijatul Anwar Soni elected from Chattogram 15, 16 and 2 seats respectively. Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5, many AL leaders and activists went into hiding and some fled the country and so they could not surrender their licensed arms, said some AL leaders preferring anonymity. According to Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP), there were 454 licensed firearms under 16 police stations. Of these, 361 have been surrendered to various police stations within the stipulated time. However, 93 firearms haven’t been surrendered yet. Moreover there were 388 licensed firearms in the district's various police stations and 335 of which were surrendered and 53 still missing. It was learned that former lawmaker Mostafizur was criticized for brandishing his licensed firearms to intimidate the public. He had licenses for a single-barrel gun and a pistol. Despite the directive to surrender arms by September 3, he did not comply with. Expressing concern over the security threat, locals urged the authorities concerned to immediately recover the firearms and take legal action against Mostafizur. Another former MP Nadvi has two licensed firearms—a shotgun and a pistol which have not been surrendered yet. Former lawmaker Khadijatul Anwar is also on the list of those who failed to submit weapons. Moreover, recently arrested former lawmaker ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury’s son Faraz Karim Chowdhury also failed to surrender his arms within the deadline, said Raozan Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge Zahid Hossain. A police source said except the mentioned AL leaders, several prominent figures have also failed to surrender their arms. They are- Mujibul Haque Chowdhury, chairman of Chhambul union in Banshkhali upazila, who had threatened former US Ambassador Peter Haas and has not surrendered his single-barrel gun. Additional Superintendent of Police (Special Branch) Abu Tayeb Md. Arif Hossain and CMP Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Kazi Md. Tarek Aziz said that most firearms were surrendered within the deadline. Firearms which were issued to specific police stations but not surrendered there are being tracked and joint forces are conducting operations to recover the arms. Legal action will be taken against the offenders, they informed.

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested former Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain from Dhaka’s Eskaton area on Saturday night, said the elite force. Shihab Karim, senior assistant director (media) of the RAB-2 Battalion Headquarters, confirmed the matter saying that being tipped-off a RAB team conducted a drive in the Eskaton area under Hatirjheel police station and arrested Farhad around 11pm. The former minister was accused in a case filed for gunning down one Md Rubel in an area under Adabor police station during the anti-government movement on August 5, he said. Moreover, two more cases were filed against him in Meherpur Sadar police station over the recent student movement, the RAB officer informed. After the arrest Farhad was handed over to police to take next legal action, he added.