United News of Bangladesh

Authorities have imposed Section 144 in the Pather Bazar area of Dighalia Upazila from 5pm to 10pm on Friday, following announcements of rallies by two opposing factions of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) scheduled at the same venue. Ariful Islam, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Dighalia, confirmed that the emergency measure was taken to prevent potential clashes between the groups. He said that police and Navy personnel have been deployed and are currently patrolling the area to maintain law and order. So far, no untoward incidents have been reported, he added.

A young man was detained from the Parbatipur station area in Dinajpur on charges of leaking question papers for the upcoming BCS examination. The accused Mohibul Islam, 25, is a resident of Uttar Atrai village in Palashbari union, Parbatipur upazila, and a student at a private university in Dhaka. Tipped-off, the Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Police (DMP DB) launched a shadow investigation into the alleged leak of the BCS exam paper scheduled for Friday. Upon learning of the probe, Mohibul reportedly left Dhaka and attempted to return home to Parbatipur by boarding the Panchagarh-bound intercity Ekota Express on Thursday morning (18 September). Using information technology, investigators tracked his journey and coordinated with railway police to identify him onboard. A team from the Dinajpur District Detective Branch (DB) then boarded the train at Birampur Railway Station and detained him near Parbatipur Station on Thursday evening. Rafiquzzaman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Dinajpur DB, said that the suspect was handed over to the DMP Detective Branch later that night for further investigation.

Anyone found guilty of online gambling, fraud, or deception under the new Cyber Security Ordinance 2025 will face up to two years in prison, a fine of up to Tk 1 crore, or both, according to Section 20 of the ordinance. The law states that if any person, organisation, company or institution creates, operates, or promotes any online platform, app, or device related to gambling — or takes part in, supports, or advertises such activities — they will be committing a punishable offence. This includes promoting or encouraging gambling directly or indirectly on social media platforms such as Facebook, Google, YouTube, WhatsApp, Twitter, TikTok, and others. The High Court Division has also issued directives to take effective and urgent action to stop online gambling across the country. All individuals and organisations have been strongly advised to refrain from participating in or supporting gambling-related advertisements. To prevent cybercrime and ensure public safety, all relevant electronic, print, and social media platforms have been asked to remove, block, or shut down any websites, apps, links, and advertisements related to online gambling immediately.

The Wildlife Crime Control Unit of the Forest Department rescued 25 wild animals from an unauthorised  zoo in Lohagara Upazila of Narail on Thursday. The operation took place around 4 pm at a solitary picnic spot in the upazila. The raid was led by Rathindra Kumar Biswas, Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation Officer, with support from Lohagara police. Among the rescued animals were a nearly 7-foot-long python, a grey fishing cat, 8 black-and-purple kalim birds, 4 ducks of different breeds, 2 white peacocks, 2 black peacocks, 2 macaques with burnt faces and 6 other unidentified animals. Forest Department's beat office in Sherpur damaged as wild elephants run amok The Forest Department officials stated that such illegal zoos violate the Wildlife Conservation Act and pose a serious threat to the environment and biodiversity. “These animals were kept illegally. Legal action will be taken against those involved. Everyone should understand that wild animals belong in forests, where they live beautifully and naturally,” said Rathindra.

Home affairs adviser Lt Gen (retired) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury  said that Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) has undergone significant changes since August 5 and is now earning public praise for its efforts in maintaining law and order, seizing arms and drugs, and bringing criminals to justice. He made the remarks while speaking to journalists after visiting  to the Rab headquarters in Kurmitola on Thursday afternoon. Earlier at the Rab headquarters, the adviser also held a brief meeting with senior  officials and battalion commanders, giving them various directives. Talking to reporters, the the adviser said that  the activities that existed in Rab before August 5 are no longer there. Everyone is now working properly. Rab’s performance is much better now. Their drives to recover drugs and illegal arms, and to bring criminals under the law, are commendable. I thank all members of Rab for that,  he added. When asked whether appointing retired officers on contract to senior posts in law enforcement agencies creates any conflict with serving officers, the adviser said, “No, there is no conflict. This is done as per the needs of the state, not for personal interests. It happened in the past, it is happening now, and it may happen in the future.” About the meeting with Rab officials, he said national elections are ahead, and elections are also taking place in different universities. Instructions have been given to the commanders to keep the law and order situation normal during these events, Jahangir Alam said. Home Adviser warns of action to clear blockade in Faridpur’s Bhanga In response to a query about security concerns centering around the upcoming Durga Puja, he said there are over 33,000 puja mandaps across the country. “Minor incidents may occur, but I am hopeful that no major incidents will take place,” he said.

A day after three journalists were named in a case over last year’s July student movement in Feni’s Mohipal, the plaintiff withdrew his petition and the officer-in-charge (OC) of Sonagazi Model Police Station was transferred. On Wednesday, Enayet Ullah filed the petition with the Senior Judicial Magistrate Court, accusing three journalists and 106 others of attempted murder during the July 2024 uprising. He alleged that the accused were involved in the shootings that killed nine and injured over 200 near the Mohipal flyover on August 4, 2024. However, the plaintiff withdrew the petition today, when its hearing was scheduled. Instead, Sonagazi Model Police Station OC Bayezid Akon was transferred to the district Detective Branch following allegations that he instigated the case against the journalists. The development comes after several investigative reports published by UNB and Desh Rupantor highlighted alleged irregularities at the Sonagazi Model Police Station under headlines such as “Police station turned into arbitration hub” and “Trader framed in explosives case after mob attack in Sonagazi.” Feni journalists sued over attack on July mass protests The reports reportedly angered the OC, who allegedly prompted Enayet Ullah, a local Jubo Dal activist, to implicate Shafi Ullah Ripon, Feni correspondent for UNB and Desh Rupantor, along with two other local journalists, in the Mohipal case. Local journalists strongly condemned the move, terming it an attempt to muzzle the press. On Wednesday night, the Feni Reporters’ Unit held an emergency meeting, calling the case a “dangerous conspiracy.” The following morning, about 50 journalists met with Feni Superintendent of Police Habibur Rahman to voice their concerns. Journalist Ripon said he believed the case was an act of retaliation against his reports on police irregularities. “I was injured during the July movement myself and last year I received an award for courageous journalism,” he added.

The separation of civil and criminal courts will help speed up the process of dispensing justice, and go towards reducing the massive backlog of cases in the country's courts, the Ministry of Law said in a notification on Thursday. According to the notification, for the first time in Bangladesh’s history, civil and criminal courts have been completely separated at the district level. The move is aimed at improving the pace of judicial proceedings and easing the burden of pending cases. Until now, district-level judges — including Joint District Judges, Additional District Judges, and District Judges — had to deal with both civil and criminal (sessions) cases simultaneously. This dual responsibility was widely seen as a major cause of judicial delays and the growing backlog of cases. Currently, approximately 16 lakh civil cases and 23 lakh criminal cases are pending in lower courts across the country. Despite the higher number of criminal cases, the same judges were responsible for handling both types, significantly slowing down trial processes. To address this, the government has established 203 Additional Sessions Courts and 367 Joint Sessions Courts, which will deal exclusively with criminal cases. Judges in these courts will no longer be assigned civil case duties, the notification adds. The ministry expressed hope that this landmark decision will eliminate the dual workload of judges, expedite the disposal of cases, and reduce the overall backlog in both civil and criminal courts.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali on Thursday said this year’s Durga Puja will be celebrated in a festive atmosphere. He made the remarks while addressing a preparatory meeting with stakeholders at the DMP headquarters ahead of the Sharadiya Durga Puja. The commissioner said the overall law-and-order situation remains stable and, as in previous years, the largest religious festival of the Hindu community will be observed smoothly through the joint efforts of all concerned. In the beginning of the meeting, DMP Joint Commissioner (Operations) Md Shahidullah presented the security plan, noting that puja will be held at 258 mandaps across the capital. In addition to mandap-based security, a separate traffic management plan will be implemented, he said, adding that comprehensive measures will also be in place on the day of immersion. Additional Commissioner (Admin) Md Sarwar urged the authorities to repair and clean roads near puja mandaps for the convenience of visitors, while also emphasising fire safety guidelines. Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operations) SN Md Nazrul Islam underscored the need for installing CCTV cameras around the mandaps and stressed that no venue should remain unprotected. 3-tier security measures taken ahead of Durga Puja: IGP He also cautioned against the spread of misinformation or disinformation on social media during the festival. Leaders of Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, Mahanagar Puja Udjapan Parishad, Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Oikkya Parishad and Ramakrishna Mission, who attended the meeting, expressed satisfaction over the DMP’s preparations and thanked the authorities. Additional commissioners of the DMP, as well as representatives of the armed forces, intelligence agencies and service organisations, were also present.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Thursday filed a case against former Director General of Bangladesh Railway Shamsuzzaman and two other senior officials on charges of irregularities, fraud, and embezzlement of government funds in the purchase of locomotives. ACC assistant director Md. Abul Kalam Azad filed the with the ACC’s Integrated District Office, Dhaka-1. The two other accused are Manzurul Alam Chowdhury, former Additional Director General (Rolling Stock), Mohammad Hasan Monsur, former Additional Director General (Development) of Bangladesh Railway. According to the ACC complaint, the accused colluded to abuse government authority by violating tender specifications and contractual terms during the procurement of 10 meter-gauge locomotives. ACC sues S. Alam and 42 others on fresh graft charges Engines, alternators, traction motors, compressors, and turbochargers were not supplied as per specifications, yet the locomotives were accepted. Although the contract required Pre-Shipment Inspection (PSI) in the presence of an international inspection agency, the engines were shipped and received without it. The substandard locomotives were accepted without the consent of the project director or supervising authority, according to the complaint. Through fraud and forgery, the accused directly embezzled over Tk 1.36 crore, while the government suffered losses of approximately Tk 322 due to the import of substandard locomotives. The irregularities occurred between November 2015 and September 2020.

A Dhaka court on Thursday sentenced Evaly Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mohammad Rassel and Chairperson Shamima Nasrin to three years of rigorous imprisonment in a fraud case over embezzling money from a customer. Metropolitan Magistrate Md Monirul Islam delivered the verdict in the afternoon, also fining the duo Tk 10,000 each. In default, they will serve an additional three months in jail. According to the case statement, Abul Kalam Azad filed the case on December 7, 2023, accusing the pair of taking Tk 23 lakh from him in 2021 for 11 motorbikes but failing to deliver the products or refund the money. Following the complaint, the court directed the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to probe the matter. On March 27 last year, PBI sub-inspector Basudev Sarkar submitted a charge sheet against Rassel and Shamima. On December 9, the court framed charges and began the trial, recording testimony from three witnesses before pronouncing Thursday’s judgment. This is not the first conviction against the Evaly top brass.  On April 13, they were sentenced to three years’ rigorous imprisonment and fined Tk 5,000 each in another fraud case. Evaly CEO Rassel, chairman Nasrin get 3 yrs jail in cheque fraud case On April 6, they had received a three-year sentence in a breach of trust case. On January 29, 2024, the couple was sentenced to two years in prison in a separate case, while on 2 January 2024 a Chattogram court handed them one year in jail in another customer’s case. With Thursday’s verdict, Rassel and Shamima now face a total of 12 years’ imprisonment in five different cases. Both remain absconding. The court also issued warrants for their arrests as they were tried in absentia.