United News of Bangladesh

Members of the Airport Armed Police Battalion (APBn-13) have arrested a member of an organized fraud gang posing as customs officials at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The arrestee was identified as Md. Sabur Khan, 25. According to police sources, Sabur and his accomplice Hares, 32, allegedly impersonated customs officers on Sunday night near the customs house area east of Hangar Gate No. 8 and attempted to flee with 95 grams of gold ornaments and a mobile phone belonging to Md. Sumon Mia, 29, a passenger from Brahmanbaria. Airport police said Sabur was caught red-handed by on-duty APBn members, while his associate managed to escape with the gold. The victim, Sumon Mia, later filed a case at Airport Police Station against the arrested fraudster and others involved in the gang. Officials said the gang has long been active around the airport, deceiving passengers and stealing valuables by posing as customs officers. Superintendent of Police Mohammad Mozammel Haque, operational commander of APBn-13, said that various fraudsters try to become active around the airport area. “We are carrying out regular operations to root out smugglers and fraudsters,” he said.

Two detonators and 250 grams of high-powered explosives recovered from the border area of Chanbari in Chhatak upazila of Sunamganj, were defused on Monday, according to Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). Sylhet BGB 48-Battalion defused the explosives and detonators in Telikhal of Companiganj upazila on Monday morning with assistance from the Bangladesh Army’s bomb disposal unit. A special team of Sylhet BGB-48 Battalion conducted a raid in the border area of Chanbari Bazar in Chhatak upazila and recovered a foreign revolver, 250 grams of high-powered explosives and two detonators hidden under a sand pile on October 31. The recovered revolver was handed over to the local police station as per regulations, while the detonators and explosives were disposed of today. Lt Col Md Nazmul Haque, commanding officer of the Sylhet BGB-48 Battalion, said the recovered arms and explosives were likely smuggled into Bangladesh to destabilise the country and carry out acts of sabotage. Due to BGB’s intelligence vigilance, operational activities and alert stance, the smuggling of such weapons and explosives has been prevented, he said. BGB will continue its efforts to ensure airtight border security, prevent drug and arms infiltration and curb smuggling of other contraband items, he added.

Two separate complaints of sexual harassment were filed against two teachers of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur. Two students separately submitted written complaints to the university’s Proctor Office and Student Counseling Office, said Dr Iliyas Pramanik, Student Adviser and Member Secretary of the Sexual Harassment Prevention Cell. The accused are Md Shamim Hossain, an Assistant Proctor and Assistant Professor of the Department of Geography and Environmental Science, and Dr Shakibul Islam, Associate Professor of the Department of Disaster Management. One of the complainants submitted a 31-page written statement against Shamim Hossain while another student lodged a sexual harassment complaint against Dr Shakibul Islam. Earlier on Thursday (Oct 30), students of the 2020–21 academic year from the Department of Geography and Environmental Science submitted a written complaint citing sexual harassment, to the department head seeking directives to restrain Prof. Shamim Hossain, from conducting classes, exams, and other academic activities. According to the complaint, the student alleged that Shamim Hossain made indecent gestures, inappropriate proposals and unwanted physical contact. Besides, when contacted, Prof. Dr Shakibul Islam, said, “I’m not aware of any such matter. I’m not that kind of person. I’ll look into it through the department.” Md Mostafizur Rahman, Head of the Department of Geography and Environmental Science, said a written complaint was received last Thursday signed by 31 students of the 2020–21 session. They demanded that the teacher’s classes and exams be suspended, adding: “We held an emergency meeting where several female students made serious allegations. Another meeting will be held soon to decide the next course of action.” Dr Emdadul Haque, Head of the Department of Disaster Management, said, “A sexual harassment complaint has also been filed in our department by one of our female students. We held a meeting on the matter at noon today (Monday).” University Proctor Dr Md Ferdous Rahman said the allegations will be reviewed in a meeting within seven days to decide on necessary action. Dr Iliyas Pramanik, member secretary of the Sexual Harassment Prevention Cell, said, “We have received a complaint and steps will be taken in line with the university’s policy on sexual harassment prevention.”

The High Court on Monday issued a rule asking the government to explain as to why the recruitment process for Managing Director of Dhaka Water Supply & Sewerage Authority (WASA) should not be declared scrapped.. The HC bench of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Fatema Anwar passed the order after hearing a writ petition. It also suspended the recruitment process for the appointment of the Managing Director (MD) of Dhaka Water Supply & Sewerage Authority (WASA) on a three-year contract basis. The Local Government Division Secretary and authorities concerned have been made respondent to the rule which is returnable in four weeks. On 14 August, a circular was issued for the appointment to the position of Managing Director of Dhaka WASA. Md Liakat Ali filed a writ petition seeking the suspension of the circular. Barrister Mamunur Rashid, a counsel of the petitioner, said the circular stated that applications were being invited from qualified Bangladeshi nationals in good health who hold at least a postgraduate degree, BSc in Engineering, or an equivalent qualification for the post of Managing Director of Dhaka WASA on a three-year contractual basis. However, candidates currently employed in, or having previously served in, any government, semi-government, autonomous, or self-governing organization must hold a position equivalent to at least the third-grade scale under the National Pay Scale 2015. According to the circular, the Managing Director will be responsible to the Dhaka WASA Board for planning, managing, and overseeing the authority’s day-to-day and development activities. The detailed duties of the Managing Director will be defined under the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority Act, 1996. The candidate must have at least 20 years of senior-level experience in the water supply and sanitation sector or in general administration and management.    

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Monday approved five separate cases against former Prime Minister’s Private Industry and Investment Adviser and Beximco Group Chairman Salman F Rahman, his brother, and top officials of Janata Bank over allegations of laundering nearly Tk 2,000 crore through fraudulent import-export transactions linked to Letters of Credit (LCs). The cases were approved at the ACC headquarters, confirmed ACC Director General Md Akhter Hossain. He said the five approved cases accuse 34 individuals of embezzling and laundering a total of Tk 1,939.75 crore. According to the ACC investigation report, the accused embezzled and siphoned off a huge amount of money from the local office of Janata Bank PLC. The misappropriated funds include: In total, they allegedly embezzled USD 21,552,801, equivalent toTk 1,939.75 crore**, through these five cases. The accused include from Beximco Group are- Salman F Rahman (Chairman), his brother ASF Rahman (Vice Chairman), his two sons Ahmed Shayan Fazlur Rahman and Ahmed Shahriar Rahman, Director Iqbal Ahmed, Managing Director Osman Kaiser Chowdhury (O.K. Chowdhury), and Directors A.B. Siddiqur Rahman, Masud Ikramullah Khan, Shah Manzurul Haque, and Reem H. Shamsuddoha. Other company officials are Anwarul Bashar (MD, Skynet Apparels Ltd), Nasrin Ahmed (Director, Skynet), Abu Nayeem Mahmud Salehin (MD, Crescent Accessories), Md Mostafizur Rahman Tanvir (Director, Crescent Accessories), Mohammad Alif Ibne Zulfiqar (MD, Platinum Garments), Mst. Nusrat Haider (Director, Platinum), Wasiur Rahman (MD, Pearl Garments), Rizia Akhter (Director, Pearl Garments), Salauddin Khan Mojlish (MD, New Dhaka Industries), Abdur Rouf (Director, New Dhaka Industries), Mahfuzur Rahman Khan (MD, Kanchpur Apparels), and Syed Tanbir Elahi Afendi (Director, Kanchpur Apparels). Former Managing Directors Abduch Salam Azad and Abdul Jabbar, former General Managers Mizanur Rahman and Md Shahidul Haque, retired Deputy General Manager Md Abdur Rahim, retired DGM (Export) Md Momtazul Islam, Senior Officer Rafiqul Islam, Manager Md Saleh Ahmed, retired Assistant General Managers Md Moazzem Hossain and Mohammad Shahjahan, retired AGM (Export) Md Humayun Kabir Dhali, and Principal Officer S.M. Mahatab Hossain Badsha from Janata Bank. The cases have been approved under sections 409, 420, 467, 468, 471, and 109 of the Penal Code, along with section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.    

A court in Narail sentenced two men to life terms in prison over the death of a man in Lohagara upazila of the district around nine years back.    Judge Sharmin Nigar of Narail District and Sessions Judge’s Court also fined the convicts Tk 20,000 each, said public prosecutor SM Abdul Haq. The convicts are Asha Begum and Arafat Sheikh who were tried in absentia.    Another accused, Roman, was sentenced to seven years in jail with a Tk 10,000 fine, in default to serve six more months’ imprisonment. He was the only one in police custody and so present at the trial Another accused, Shabana Begum, was acquitted.    According to the case statement, victim Masum Fakir went missing from his home on December 8, 2016. Five days later, locals spotted a body lying on the north bank of the Nabaganga River near Jalalsi village of the upazila. Police recovered the body and sent it to Narail Sadar Hospital for autopsy, after which the family identified it as Masum. The victim’s brother Md Shahidul Fakir filed a murder case with Narail Sadar Police Station around a week later. Police submitted chargesheets against the four. After hearing 22 witnesses and verifying documents, the court handed down the judgment in the absence of the lifers.

A defamation case has been filed against Chief Coordinator of National Citizen Party (NCP) Nasiruddin Patwary for making ‘defamatory’ remarks about a leader of the Jubo Dal. Kazi Mukituzzaman, a member of the convening committee of Dhaka South Jubo Dal, filed the case on Monday with the court of Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Zakir Hossain. After recording the plaintiff’s statement, Magistrate Zakir Hossain ordered the Detective Branch (DB) of police to investigate the allegations and submit a report. According to the case statement, Nasiruddin Patwary made defamatory comments targeting Rabiul Islam Nayon during a conference at the BMA Auditorium in Dhaka on November 1. Patwary said that a major party is engaging in thuggery over the July Charter. There is a Dhaka metropolitan leader named Nayon; the amount of extortion and corruption he alone has committed could fund a referendum in Bangladesh, he said. “We tried to cleanse them with Zamzam water for so long, but their heads weren’t clean, nor were their bodies. Now I think they need to be cleaned with Buriganga’s water,” he added. The plaintiff alleged that since the fall of the “fascist government” on August 5 last year, Nasiruddin Patwary has been deliberately spreading false, fabricated, misleading, and defamatory propaganda on social media and the press, with the intent to tarnish the image of BNP and its leaders involved in the movement and to socially humiliate them.

Four children who went missing from Sylhet have been rescued from a hotel in the capital’s Shahjahanpur railway colony area. The rescued children were Tanim Ahmed ,12, Abdul Hakim ,12, Tamim, 12 and Suhin Mia,13. DMP Deputy Commissioner (Media) Talebur Rahman on Monday said tipped off, a Shahjahanpur police team conducted a drive around 5:30pm on Sunday in  railway colony area and rescued the four missing boys from a hotel. Child kidnapped using ’devil breath’ in Dhaka rescued: 3 held During preliminary questioning, the children told police that they had travelled from Sylhet to Dhaka by train but lost their way after arriving at Kamalapur Railway Station. They said they had been working at a hotel in the past six days. Police said the children were handed over Sylhet Airport Police Station.      

Police recovered the bodies of a youth and a woman from a building in the city’s North Badda area on Sunday. The deceased were identified as Saiful Islam, 28, a security guard of the building, and Sakila, 24, who worked there as a cleaner, said Officer-in-Charge of Badda Police Station Habibur Rahman. Acting on information from residents about a foul smell, a police team went to the three-storey building located at Plot No-5, Road No-2 of North Badda around 11:00am and found the two bodies inside a godown on the ground floor. The OC said the two were not husband and wife. The bodies are believed to have been there for 5-7 days before being discovered. “The actual cause of death will be known after receiving the postmortem report,” the OC added. The bodies were sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy.

A case was filed on Sunday against 200 people in connection with the death of three 'cattle lifters' in a lynch-mob attack in Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha district. Tafir Uddin, sub-inspector of Gobindaganj Police Station filed the case against 200 people of Nasirabad village in the afternoon, said officer-in-charge of the police station Bulbul Islam. According to the case statement, the incident occurred around 2:30am when a group of eight alleged thieves tried to lift cows from the shed of one Abdus Salam Mia at Nasirabad village in the upazila. Hearing noises, Salam shouted for help, drawing villagers out of their homes. Later, local people managed to catch three people and beat them up mercilessly while the other five others managed to flee the scene. Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Gobindaganj Police Station, Bulbul Islam, said two of them died on the spot and the third succumbed to his injuries while being taken to Gobindaganj Upazila Health Complex. One of the deceased was identified as Kausar Ali of Shibganj upazila in Bogura district while the identities of another could not be known immediately. Nishat Engela, superintendent of Gaibandha Police said legal action will be taken against those involved in the killing. Local residents said incidents of cattle theft had been frequent in the area in recent weeks, leaving villagers frustrated and anxious. Police have intensified patrols in the area and launched an investigation to identify those involved in the killing, as well as the rest of the suspected cattle lifters who managed to flee.