United News of Bangladesh

The authorities have issued an order to remit the remaining jail terms of five inmates convicted of minor offences, paving the way for their release from different prisons across the country on the occasion of Victory Day. Bangladesh celebrates the surrender of the Pakistani occupation forces in 1971 as Victory Day on December 16. The order will be implemented immediately upon receipt, prison authorities said. Md Jannatul Farhad, Assistant Inspector General of Prisons (Media and Development), confirmed the matter.  

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Md Sazzat Ali on Wednesday directed all police members to maintain absolute neutrality in the upcoming election and perform their duties with the highest sincerity and professionalism. He came up with the directives while addressing the monthly crime review meeting for November 2025 at the Bangladesh Police Auditorium in Rajarbagh. Addressing the newly appointed officers-in-charge (OCs) of different police stations, the DMP Commissioner said they must thoroughly understand the crime situation and overall environment of their respective areas and bring habitual offenders under the law promptly to control crime. Additional Police Commissioner (Administration) Md Sarwar said patrol activities have to be intensified at every police station to prevent and control crime, alongside installation of CCTV cameras at important locations. He also stressed the use of government motorcycles for patrolling purposes. Additional Police Commissioner (Crime and Operations) SN Md Nazrul Islam said new deputy commissioners and OCs must work based on the specific crime patterns of their respective areas. He urged officers to be more responsible in case disposal and execution of warrants, and to strengthen community policing and beat policing to verify identity documents during recruitment of housemaids and raise awareness about strangers.He also instructed police members to remain on high alert ahead of the upcoming Martyred Intellectuals Day and Victory Day. DMP bans public gatherings near CA’s residence, Secretariat At the meeting, Joint Police Commissioner (Crime) Md Faruk Hossain presented an overview of the overall crime situation in November 2025, including incidents of robbery, dacoity, theft, burglary, murder, unnatural death, road accidents, repression against women and children, rape, and cases related to drug and arms recovery. The DMP Commissioner also issued various directives to the attending officers. During the meeting, the DMP Commissioner awarded police officials of different ranks in several categories in recognition of their commendable work in maintaining law and order, controlling crime and ensuring public safety in the capital during November.    

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) conducted a drive at Sreepur Upazila Health Complex in Gazipur on Wednesday following allegations of irregularities in service delivery, poor hygiene and mismanagement of essential supplies. A team, led by Enamul Haque, assistant director of the ACC’s Gazipur office, carried out the operation around noon after receiving complaints about doctors’ absence, an unhygienic environment and anomalies in food and medicine distribution. The officials inspected the emergency department, outdoor unit, its kitchen and medicine distribution system from the morning. Several irregularities surfaced during the inquiry. After first observing the situation discreetly, the team later entered the hospital openly in their official attire. They found that for 50 patients, the kitchen was supposed to supply 8.2 kg of fish but provided only 5 kg. Instead of 1.5 kg of lentils, only 500 grams were supplied. The allocated 1.5 litres of oil was reduced to just half a litre. In terms of medicine distribution, patients received only three types of medicines instead of the prescribed eight. In some cases, medicines were marked as ‘distributed’ in the register despite not being provided. ACC official Enamul said the primary allegations were proven true. A report will be submitted to the commission, and legal action will follow accordingly.

The Appellate Division on Wednesday ruled that Bagerhat district will retain its four parliamentary seats, while Gazipur will continue with five. The seven-member full bench, headed by Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed, passed the order. Earlier, on November 10, a High Court (HC) ruling restored Bagerhat’s four seats and Gazipur five, rejecting a decision by the Election Commission (EC) to reduce Bagerhat’s seats from four to three. The HC also directed the EC to publish the updated gazette within 24 hours on that day. Shortly after the order, the EC and Md Salah Uddin Sarkar, a candidate from Ghazipur-6, filed separate petitions with the Appellate Division seeking a stay order on the ruling. On November 12, both appeals were first heard at the Appellate Division’s chamber court, which scheduled a full hearing for November 16 and ordered the status quo in the meantime. Meanwhile, the full HC verdict was published on the Supreme Court website on December 3. Following this, the EC and Gazipur-6 aspirant Sarkar Jabed Ahmed submitted two separate leave to appeals with the Appellate Division. Jamaat-e-Islami-nominated candidate Hafizur Rahman had also filed an appeal earlier. All these petitions were heard together. Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman represented the EC, while senior lawyer M Badruddoza Badal appeared for Jabed Ahmed while senior lawyer Mustafizur Rahman Khan represented Salah Uddin Sarkar. Ahead of the 13th parliamentary election, the EC had initially proposed on July 30 to reduce Bagerhat’s seats from four to three, igniting protests from political parties. On September 4, the EC issued the final gazette formalising the dropping Bagerhat seats from four to three. Bagerhat Press Club, Bagerhat district BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and other groups had submitted petitions challenging the legality of the EC gazette.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB)  have  seized various types of smuggled goods and contraband drugs worth over Tk 168.38 crore from different parts of the country including border areas in November. Besides, 403 Myanmar nationals were pushed back while attempting to enter Bangladesh illegally, said a BGB press release. The seized items included 2.266 kg of gold, 121 gram of silver, 17,234 saris, 21,338 pieces of three-piece sets, shirt pieces, chadars and blankets, 27,450 ready-made garments, 9,740 metres of than cloth, 3,40,380 cosmetics, 6,564 pieces of imitation jewellery, 10,09,421 fireworks, 6,216 cubic feet of wood, 1,284 kg of tea leaves, 11,479 kg of betel nut, 66,546 kg of coal, 12,890 cubic feet of stone, 597 kg of yarn and curtain materials, 15, 178 pieces of plastic or electric products, 445 mobile phones, 15, 145 mobile displays, 73,564 spectacles, 37,690 kg of cumin, 4,970 kg of sugar, 1,63, 490 kg of onion, 1,731 kg of garlic, 6, 320 kg of fertiliser, 4,680 packets of seeds, 2,684 packets of pesticides, 485 litres of diesel, 1,68,021 pieces of chocolate, 819 cows and buffaloes, 16 trucks or covered vans, 17 pickups or Mahindras, four tractors, two private cars or microbuses, 14 trolleys, 179 boats, 38 CNGs or easy bikes, 38 motorcycles, and 31 bicycles or vans. The BGB also recovered four locally made pistols, one hand grenade, two magazines, 19 rounds of ammunition, 2.300 kg of gunpowder, three mines, six cocktails and nine other weapons. Smugglers flee as BGB swoops in, huge drugs haul seized in Lalmonirhat A significant quantity of narcotics was also seized, including 20,58,789 Yaba tablets, 193 gram of heroin, 3,714 bottles of Phensedyl, 7,176 bottles of foreign liquor, 203.9 litres of locally made liquor, 608 cans of beer, 1,526.50 kg of marijuana, 1,17,581 packets of bidis and cigarettes, 50,585 narcotic tablets and injections, 3,463 bottles of Escafe syrup, 8,156 Anegra and Senegra tablets, 56, 120 tables of producing liquor, and 7,67,923 pieces of other medicines and tablets. During the drives, BGB arrested 159 smugglers,  detained 137 Bangladeshi citizens and two Indian citizens for illegal border crossing and involvement in drug trafficking. Legal action has been taken against them.

Domestic help Ayesha is believed to have killed the Mohammadpur woman and her teenage daughter before fleeing the flat with valuables, a crime that has stunned the city dwellers. The family’s this newly hired domestic help, Ayesha, stands accused of the double murder as she fled with valuables, according to the case filed by the victims’ husband and father, AZM Azizul Islam. Azizul filed the case with Mohammadpur Police Station on Monday night, hours after discovering the bodies of his wife, Layla Afroz, 48, and their daughter, Nafisa Binte Aziz, 15. A Trusted Face of Only Four Days According to the case statement, Ayesha had been working at the apartment as a part-time domestic help for just four days. Originally from Rangpur, police say she had been living with her uncle and aunt at Geneva Camp after reportedly losing her parents in a fire. Timeline Captured on CCTV Investigators have begun piecing together a chilling timeline from CCTV footage. The footage shows Ayesha arriving at the building at 7:51 am, dressed in a burqa. She is later seen leaving the flat around 9:35 am, but this time wearing Nafisa’s school uniform, a mask on her face, and carrying the teenager’s school bag. The complainant said valuables, including a mobile phone, laptop and gold jewellery were missing, suggesting burglary may have been a motive. Domestic help sued over Mohammadpur double murder Police suspect Ayesha went to the bathroom to wash off bloodstains before fleeing the crime scene. Officers recovered two sharp knives from the bathroom, believed to have been used in the murders. Father’s Horrific Discovery Azizul returned home at around 11 am and found his wife dead with multiple cut injuries. His daughter, though critically injured, was still alive. She was rushed to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared her dead. Police sources say Nafisa may have attempted to call building security through the intercom, only to find the line disconnected. Investigation Widens Police are now analysing the CCTV footage and other evidence to trace Ayesha’s movements after she left the building and to determine whether she acted alone or had external assistance. The building’s gateman, Malek, has been detained for questioning as investigators explore all possible angles. As the manhunt for Ayesha continues, the brutal killings have sparked renewed concerns over unverified domestic workers and building security lapses in Dhaka’s residential areas. Police say efforts are underway to track the suspect and bring clarity to a crime that has left a family shattered and a neighbourhood shaken.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has imposed a ban on rallies, processions, demonstrations and gatherings around Chief Justice’s residence, Judges Complex, the main gate of Bangladesh Supreme court, Mazar Gate, Jam-e-Mosque gate, the main gates of International Crimes Tribunal 1 and 2 and Bangladesh Institute of Judicial Administration (BIJA) effective from Thursday. The ban will remain valid until further notice, according to a public notice signed by DMP Commissioner SM Sazzat Ali. The ban will be enforced under Section 29 of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ordinance (Ordinance No. III/76) to maintain discipline in light of the prevailing situation, it said. It also requested all again to refrain from blocking roads in the name of protests as such activities cause severe traffic congestion in the capital.

A murder case has been filed against a woman who used to work as a domestic help in the Mohammadpur flat where a woman and her daughter were found dead on Monday (December 08, 2025). AZM Azizul Islam, husband of the deceased woman and father of the girl, filed the case with Mohammadpur Police Station against their domestic aide Aysha. The accused has not been arrested yet. Read more: Motives behind Mohammadpur mother-daughter murders still unclear: Police Assistant Commissioner (Mohammadpur Zone) of DMP's Tejgaon Division Abdullah Al Mamun said an investigation is underway over the murder of Layla Afroz, 48, and her daughter Nafisa Binte Aziz, 15. According to the case statement, the accused, Ayesha, started working as a part-time domestic help at the flat four days earlier. Azizul Islam said he found his wife dead with multiple cut injuries and his daughter critically injured when he returned home around 11am on Monday. His daughter was taken to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital where she was declared dead. Read more: Mohammadpur double murder: Maid disguised herself in victim’s school uniform to flee The complainant said CCTV footage showed the accused entering the flat at 7:51am and leaving around 9:35am with valuables, leading him to believe she killed the two during that period.

An accused in a Cybercrime case fled the police custody after stabbing an officer of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Sagardighi Par in Sylhet city on Monday midnight. The victim, Khurshed Alam, a sub-inspector of CID,  was admitted to Osmani Medical College and Hospital. Sugyan Chakma, superintendent of Sylhet CID, said a team of CID in plainclothes conducted a drive to arrest the warranted criminal in Sylhet city on Monday night. Sensing the presence of the police, the accused flee the scene after stabbing a police official with a sharp weapon. Mainul Zakir, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station, said efforts are on to arrest the accused.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Monday filed a case against former Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader and 13 former senior government officials for allegedly abusing power to illegally construct and allocate residential flats on land acquired for the Dhaka Elevated Expressway project. The case was filed by ACC Assistant Director Khorhshed Alam, ACC Director General Md Akhter Hossain confirmed to UNB. According to the case statement, the accused are alleged to have misused their authority, acted in collusion, and violated legal procedures to formulate the *Long-Term Lease Policy 2018 for flats designated for permanent employees of the Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) and other associated departments. The charges have been brought under Sections 409/420/109 of the Penal Code and Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947. The ACC stated that during the 106th and 107th board meetings of the Bangladesh Bridge Authority, the board members illegally approved proposals to construct residential buildings and grant long-term leases for flats without following any legal obligation. Former Senior Secretary of the Bridges Division Khandaker Anwarul Islam reportedly placed the proposal for the project and the subsequent leasing policy. Investigators found that 40 acres of land were acquired to rehabilitate people affected by the Dhaka Elevated Expressway project. Although the acquisition gazette specified this purpose, the land was instead used to build residential flats for government officials under a 99-year permanent lease — a move that violated the *Acquisition and Requisition of Immovable Property Act 2017*, which requires prior approval from the Ministry of Land. No such approval was obtained, the ACC said. The commission further noted that although publishing a government gazette is mandatory for enacting any law, rule, or policy, the 2018 long-term lease policy for BBA and associated staff was never formally gazetted. Moreover, under the *Bangladesh Bridge Authority Act 2016*, the authority is authorised to issue only temporary leases of land. Granting permanent leases through flat construction for officials therefore contravened the law, ACC officials said. Obaidul Quader’s younger brother, 8 others held in Dhaka The accused named in the case include: Obaidul Quader, former Minister, Road Transport and Bridges Ministry, Khandaker Anwarul Islam, former Senior Secretary, Bridges Division, Md Nazrul Islam, former Secretary, Road Transport and Highways Division, Kamal Uddin Ahmed, former Secretary, Public Security Division, Dr Ahmad Kaikaus, former Power Secretary, Abdul Jalil, former Secretary, Ministry of Land, Dr Jafar Ahmed Khan, former Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, Dr Mohammad Muslim Chowdhury, former CAG and current Chairman of Sonali Bank, Mohammad Shahidul Haque, former Senior Secretary, Parliamentary Affairs Division, Zuena Aziz, former Principal Coordinator, Prime Minister’s Office, Md Mofazzal Hossain, former Secretary, Ministry of Railways, Kazi Shafiqul Azam, former Senior Secretary, ERD, Akhtar Hossain Bhuiyan, former Secretary, Ministry of Defence,Dr Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem, former Secretary, Energy and Mineral Resources Division and ex-Chairman, NBR. The ACC said the evidence gathered during preliminary investigation sufficiently proves the accused acted outside the law and violated mandatory procedures in executing the project.