United News of Bangladesh

The 832 totals (9,707.16 grams) of gold recovered from two Agrani bank lockers were not solely owned by convicted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as those were deposited under the names of her, her sister Sheikh Rehana, daughter Saima Wazed Putul and other family members. Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) spokesperson Aktarul Islam disclosed this at a press briefing at its headquarters on Wednesday. He said the ACC said it will review the full list of gold ornaments recovered from bank lockers, verify ownership of each item and conduct expert valuation of the gold. Aktarul Islam said the drive was conducted as part of a reinvestigation into the wealth statement she submitted in 2007. Masudur Rahman, deputy director of the ACC’s Special Inquiry and Investigation-1 unit, led the drive. Following ACC approval, the investigating officer filed a petition with the Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Court on September 14 seeking permission to open the lockers listed in the 2007 wealth statement, he said. The court granted the request and ordered that the lockers be opened in the presence of a judicial magistrate, ACC officials, a Bangladesh Bank–nominated gold specialist, two officials from the NBR’s Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID), and officials of the respective banks. In line with the directive, the ACC on Tuesday opened one locker at Pubali Bank PLC’s Motijheel Corporate Branch and two lockers at Agrani Bank PLC’s Principal Branch. At the Motijheel branch of Pubali Bank, the locker registered to Sheikh Hasina contained only an empty jute bag. At Agrani Bank’s Principal Branch, a locker held jointly by Sheikh Hasina and Saima Wazed Putul contained about 4,923.60 grams of gold ornaments, while another locker held jointly by Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana contained around 4,783.56 grams, the ACC official said.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) recovered an abandoned sound grenade of Bangladesh police from a house along Sylhet–Sunamganj bypass road in Dakkhin Surman upazila of Sylhet district on Tuesday night. It was seized from the house beside a refueling station at Khidirpur village around 1am, KM Shahidul Islam Sohag, media officer of Rab-9, said on Wednesday morning. The elite force handed over it to Dakkhin Surma Police Station. It seems that the grenade was one of the sound grenades looted from a Sylhet police station during last year’s July uprising, he added.

A 26-year-old man who was shot by drug peddlers in Kadamtali on Saturday night succumbed to his injuries early Wednesday while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dhaka. He breathed his last around 1:22am at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), said Md Faruk, in-charge of the hospital police outpost. The deceased was identified as Md Shaheen Bepary, son of Siraj Bepary from Dakhin Kebrongar village under Palong Police Station in Shariatpur district. He worked at a local furniture shop and lived in Tegharia of Dakshin Keraniganj. According to his elder brother Saddam, a case was filed with Kadamtoli Police Station naming 14 individuals and seven to eight unidentified persons in connection with the attack. On November 22, Shaheen sustained bullet injuries to his head when local drug dealers shot him after he stepped out of the furniture shop in response to a call. Critically injured, he was rushed to DMCH, where he had been receiving treatment. Locals managed to catch two suspects --Chan Mia alias Chanu and Md Zahir --as they attempted to flee and handed them over to police. Law enforcers later recovered a foreign pistol, a magazine and bullet casings from them. Former Sramik Dal leader shot dead in Chattogram The named accused in the case are Babu, Ibrahim, Rubel alias Play Rubel, Masud, Babu alias Nak Kata Babu, Shanto, Hira, Swapan, Shaon alias Chapati Shaon, Alamin, Monir alias Guti Monir, Hasan and Shaheen. In-charge Faruk said the matter has been reported to Kadamtoli police, while the body remains in the DMCH morgue.

A Dhaka court on Tuesday fixed December 1 to deliver its verdict in case against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana and 15 others over RAJUK plot forgery. Judge Md. Robiul Alam of Dhaka’s 4th Special Judge Court set the date after hearing arguments from both sides. Among the accused, only RAJUK member Khorshed Alam was present at the court and presented his arguments, claiming innocence. On November 18, the court completed the witness examination and recording statements from 32 individuals. On July 31, the court framed charges against the accused. According to the case statement, Hasina and her family misused their power to obtain plots measuring 10 kathas each in Sector 27 of the Purbachal Residential Project. This case is part of six related cases with three others scheduled for verdict on November 27.

A case has been filed against six people over the murder of a youth in the capital’s Mohammadpur Dhaka Udyan area. Parvin, mother of victim Babu, lodged the case with Mohammadpur Police station on Tuesday afternoon, said Mohammadpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mofiz Uddin. The accused are Rajib Hawlader, 26, of Barishal’s Bakerganj; Md Iqbal Hossain Sabuj, 42, of Chattogram’s Mirsarai; Rubel, 30, of Kishoreganj’s Tarail; Mohon, 33, of Bhola’s Ilisha; Sujon Nata Sujon, 42; and Moynul, 35. Besides, 10–12 unnamed people were also made accused in the murder case. 200 sued but none by name, over attack on followers of Baul Abul Sarkar Family members said around 9pm on Monday a group of miscreants attacked Babu and his father on Road 3 of the area. Witnesses said the attackers first hacked Babu’s father, Kawsar  and when Babu rushed to help they hacked him to death. Both were taken to a hospital in critical condition where doctors declared Babu dead.

A case has been filed against 200 unidentified individuals in connection with the attack on followers of Baul artiste Abul Sarkar, police said on Monday evening. Md Aminul Islam, Inspector (Investigation) of Manikganj Sadar Police Station, said injured Baul artiste Abdul Alim filed the case. The accused have been described as members of the 'Towhidi Janata' ('People of Piety'). “We are monitoring media reports, social media footage and photographs to identify and arrest those involved,” the inspector said. The attack took place around 9am on Sunday near Shaheed Miraj-Tapan Stadium, when a group under the banner Allama-Olama O Towhidi Janata of Manikganj confronted Abul Sarkar’s supporters, who had organised a human chain demanding his release. At least four people, including three of Abul’s followers, were injured. On November 4, during a programme at the Khala Pagli fair in Ghior upazila, Abul Sarkar was accused of making remarks that allegedly insulted religion. A video of his comments later spread on social media, sparking widespread criticism. He was detained by the Detective Branch on the night of November 19 from a musical event in Madaripur and brought to the district DB office the next morning. Later that afternoon, Mufti Md Abdullah filed a case at Ghior Police Station, after which Abul Sarkar was shown arrested in court and sent to jail.

A total of 35 former Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) personnel were released on bail from Kashimpur Jail in Gazipur on Monday evening in connection with the BDR mutiny case. Relatives of the accused received them at the main gate of the prison. Earlier, on Thursday, 53 others had been granted bail by a special court at Keraniganj Jail. Jail sources said that the bail order of the accused arrived in the afternoon and were released from the prison after verification in the evening. On February 25 and 26, 2009, 74 people, including 57 army officers, were killed in a mutiny at the Border Guard Headquarters in Pilkhana. On November 5, 2013, a Dhaka court awarded death sentences to 150 BDR members and two civilians, and life imprisonment to 160 others in a murder case. On 27 November 2017, the High Court confirmed the death penalty for 139 out of 152 accused.

Miscreants set fire to a Grameen Bank office by pouring petrol on PTI Road in Kushtia district headquarters on Saturday night. The fire damaged parts of the signboard and the balcony grill but documents and materials inside the office remained unaffected. The office is located near the residence of Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif who has been absconding following the fall of Sheikh Hasina government on August 5 last year. Miscreants set ablaze Grameen Bank office in Magura Bank officer Biplob Das said on Sunday morning that they found valuables and other documents inside the office largely unaffected. Officer-in-Charge Mosharraf Hossain of Kushtia Sadar Police Station said the incident is under investigation and those responsible will be arrested.

At least 10 people, including students from Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology (DUET), were injured in a clash at a fair in Gazipur on Saturday night. The incident occurred around 11 pm at the Army Pharma grounds of trade and cottage industry fair in Shimultoli area during a concert by singer Oishi. According to witnesses, tensions began over allegations that a stall was selling tea and cigarettes at prices higher than the market rate. Around 10 pm, a group of DUET students refused to pay the inflated prices. During the ensuing altercation, the stall owner and several fair organisers allegedly detained and assaulted the students, including one Nahid Islam, leaving them injured. As the news quickly spread, the DUET students and locals allegedly stormed into the fair and vandalised shops, lottery stalls, the fair office, vehicles and motorcycles. Panic spread among visitors, resulting in further injuries as people scrambled to escape. The fair had been operating for nearly two months without official approval from Gazipur district and metropolitan authorities, which had drawn criticism from locals. Officer-in-charge Mehedi Hasan of Sadar Police Station said a misunderstanding led to the clash and later police brought the situation under control.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on Saturday detained an Indian youth from the Daulatpur border area of Kushtia. A patrol team of Jamalpur BOP under the 47th Battalion of BGB detained the youth, identified as Opendar, 30, from the border area at around 11:30 am, said Zakirul Islam, Assistant Director of BGB Battalion-47. During initial interrogation, Opendar stated that he is a resident of Khas Indratol village under Uchchagaon Police Station in Bihar, India, though he could not provide the name of his father. A search of his belongings led to the recovery of both Indian and Bangladeshi currencies, as well as two train tickets for travel within Bangladesh. The tickets were for a Rohanpur–Khulna train scheduled for the 10th of this month. No Indian national identity card or Aadhaar card was found in his possession. Later, he was handed over to Daulatpur Police Station. Akhtaruzzaman Liton, Inspector (Investigation) of Daulatpur Police Station, said, “BGB has brought an Indian citizen to the police station. Legal action will be taken in this regard.”