United News of Bangladesh

The Directorate of Prisons has taken an initiative to rename prisons as ‘Correction Services Bangladesh’, said Inspector General of Prisons (IGP) Brigadier General Syed Md. Motaher Hossain on Tuesday.   The draft of the Correction Service Act-2025 has been finalised and submitted for approval, he said at a press conference held at the prison headquarters.   He said two new central jails and four district jails have recently been inaugurated to address overcrowding.   Highlighting manpower shortages Motaher Hossain said the government has approved 1,899 new posts and a proposal for an additional 1,500 positions is under consideration.   He said all prisons across the country have been connected under the directorate’s own fiber network.   Digital attendance systems, team trackers, comprehensive mobile jamming systems, body scanners, luggage scanners, ground sweeping machines and mobile detectors are being used to strengthen security.   AI-based CCTV cameras and body cameras for duty officers have also been introduced, he said.   The IGP added that telephone calls and visitation for inmates have been digitalised to ensure transparency and reduce harassment with hotline service 16191 launched for prisoner-related information.   On food facilities, he said protein intake has been increased in inmates’ diets with further enhancements including allocations for breakfast and special occasions approved.   Besides, a central prison hospital will be built in Keraniganj to serve inmates as well as prison staff, he said.   Initiatives for mental health include sports, cultural programmes, religious education and counseling sessions.   Brig Gen Motaher Hossain said the government has approved lifelong ration facilities for retiring prison guards while officers and employees will receive improved packaged rations and allowances for special occasions. Mandatory physical training and fitness monitoring have also been introduced.   The IGP reiterated the department’s “zero tolerance” policy on drugs noting that 29 members were sent to prison over narcotics-related offenses last year while a dope-testing machine has been procured to strengthen monitoring.   On corruption, he said strict action has been taken, including compulsory retirement, dismissal of 34 staff, departmental action against 440, and transfer of 172 on administrative grounds.    

A youth was hacked to death and his friend injured by some miscreants in Shanir Akhra area of Jatrabari in Dhaka on Monday night. The deceased was Shanto Ahmed Babu, 30, son of late Sadar Ali, a resident of Mridhabari in Shanir Akhra and worked at an IT company. Injured Chanchal Sharif was admitted to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) as his condition was stated to be critical. Shanto’s younger brother’s mobile phone was snatched from a nearby alley, said Shanto’s friend Tanmoy. He said when Shanto and four to five of his friends went to inquire about the snatched mobile phone 20-30 men attacked them around 10:30. Trucker stabbed to death ‘by muggers’ in Savar The attackers severed Shanto’s throat with a sharp weapon and Sharif sustained serious injuries. “Shanto was hacked to death before our eyes while another friend is fighting for his life,” Tanmoy said adding that they identified some of the attackers. Inspector Md Faruk, in-charge of the DMCH Police Outpost, said the body has been kept at the hospital morgue while Sharif is under treatment. Jatrabari police were informed about the incident, he added.

Coast Guard members detained 29 fishermen with five illegal artisanal trawling boats and huge fishing nets in Banshkhali upazila of Chattogram district late Monday night. Lt. Shakib Mehboob, media officer of the Coast Guard East Zone, said tipped-off, a team conducted a drive in Shekherkhil Govt Bazar area and recovered the boats and nets worth Tk 36 lakh. 14 Indian fishermen detained for illegal fishing in Bangladeshi waters All fishing equipment was removed from the boats and 10 trawling nets were destroyed in presence of the upazila fisheries officer, he said. The boat owners were fined Tk 10.50 lakh and then the detained fishermen were freed.

A Dhaka court on Monday placed content creator Tawhid Afridi on a five-day remand in a case over the killing of Asadul Haque Babu at Jatrabari during the July uprising. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Sarah Farzana Haque passed the order when Criminal Investigation Department (CID) inspector Khan Md Erfan, also investigating officer of the case, produced him before the court with a seven-day remand prayer. Tawhid Afridi’s lawyer filed a petition seeking bail for his client. According to the case statement, Asadul Haque Babu suffered bullet injuries during the July uprising in Jatrabari area on August 5, 2024. Later, he was taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where the doctors declared him dead. Joynal Abedin, father of Babu, filed a case against 25 people including former prime minister Sheikh Hasina at Jatrabari Police Station on August 30, 2024. Tawhid Afridi and his father Nasir Uddin were accused in the case. Tawhid Afridi was arrested from Bangla Bazar area in Barishal city on Sunday and his father Nasir Uddin was arrested from Dhaka’s Gulshan area on August 17.

The government has announced cash rewards for information leading to the recovery of weapons looted from law enforcement agencies. Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury disclosed the reward plan on Monday following a meeting of the Core Committee on Law and Order at the Secretariat. The adviser said individuals providing information on looted weapons will receive significant incentives. If a Light Machine Gun (LMG) is recovered based on a tip, the informant will be awarded Tk 500,000, along with Tk 500 per round of ammunition, he said. Read: 92 arrested, 216 looted arms recovered from Sept 4 to Sept 25: Police HQ Other rewards include Tk 100,000 for a China-made rifle, Tk 150,000 for a sub-machine gun (SMG), Tk 50,000 for pistols or shotguns and Tk 500 for each round of bullet provided. The identities of informers will be kept secret. Talking about corruption in recruitment processes, Adviser Alam said those providing evidence of malpractice in admissions will also be rewarded, although no fixed amount has been announced for such cases. “We have taken measures to stop recruitment-related corruption. Over the past year, there has been no reported malpractice,” he said, emphasising the importance of reporting any bribery or corruption, while discouraging biased reporting. Commenting on issues like blocking roads facilitating the movement of the Gazipur Commissioner, Jahangir Alam said a notice will be served to the official as per regulations. Read more: 3,763 looted arms recovered till Sept 3: Police HQ About mob violence, the adviser said its prevalence has declined but not completely eliminated, and authorities are trying to recover as many weapons as possible ahead of the upcoming elections. “The election process depends on political parties and the public. You are questioning law and order today and that is the proof that people have got election oriented,” he added.

The upazila administration has seized approximately 25 lakh cubic feet of illegally extracted stones in Companiganj upazila of Sylhet. As of Sunday, around 12 lakh cubic feet of the seized stones have been transported to the designated dumping stand, according to the administration. Companiganj authorities give 3-day ultimatum to those who stole stones Officials said that the restoration of the seized stones is being carried out in phases. So far, an estimated 4.5 lakh cubic feet of stones have been restored. On August 24 alone, 85,000 cubic feet of stones were brought to the dumping stand, and 45,000 cubic feet underwent restoration work. Currently, efforts are underway to safely preserve another 850,000 cubic feet of stones at the seizure site. Companiganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Robin Mia said the administration’s drive against illegal stone extraction is ongoing. A significant volume of stones has already been recovered, and preservation and restoration activities are in progress. All newly transported stones are being securely stored, he added. 150 more sued over stone looting in Jaflong According to the administration, since August 5, 2024, a group of people has been involved in large-scale illegal stone extraction in and around the Sada Pathor area. The authorities have intensified operations in response. Officials expressed hope that the proper preservation and restoration of the seized stones will contribute positively to environmental protection.

Police have detained three activists of Bangladesh Awami League after they suddenly held a procession in the Gulistan area of the capital on Sunday evening. Motijheel Zone Assistant Commissioner Mizanur Rahman said that the group had initially gathered in front of the hockey stadium posing as ordinary pedestrians. “At first, they were chanting general slogans, but eventually they began shouting 'Joy Bangla'. At that point, law enforcement officers at the scene pursued and detained three of them,” he said. He added that while police had prior intelligence, the sudden nature of the procession — disguised as a gathering of civilians — initially made it difficult for officers to identify them. “Three individuals have been detained and are currently being interrogated. It is yet to be confirmed whether they are affiliated with Chhatra League, Awami Jubo League, or Awami League,” he added.  

Content creator Tawhid Afridi has been arrested in connection with the attack and murder case linked to last year’s anti-discrimination student movement. A special team from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Dhaka nabbed him around 10pm on Sunday from the Bangla Bazar area in Barishal city, said Mizanur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Barishal Kotwali Model Police Station. Tawhid Afridi is the son of My TV Chairman Nasir Uddin Sathi, who was also arrested recently in connection with the same case. OC Mizanur Rahman said Afridi had been hiding in a residence near the Popular Diagnostic Centre in Bangla Bazar. Acting on a tip-off, a CID team, assisted by local police, raided the house and arrested him. He was subsequently taken to Dhaka for further legal proceedings. The identity of the house owner and their connection to Afridi remains unclear. On August 17, Afridi’s father, Md Nasir Uddin Sathi, was arrested in a case filed with Jatrabari Police Station, relating to the attack and killing of protesters during the student-led anti-discrimination movement. The case, filed on August 30 last year, names Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the prime accused. Former Minister Obaidul Quader is listed as the second accused, and former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Abdullah Al Mamun is the third. Tawhid Afridi is listed as the 11th accused and his father as the 22nd. In total, 25 people have been named, with another 150 unidentified persons also accused. The case is currently under investigation by the CID.

A Dhaka court dealing with food frauds issued on Sunday four arrest warrants against three food and restaurant businesses for producing and serving substandard and poisonous foods. The court of Nusrat Sahara Bithi issued two of the arrest orders against HM Iqbal, the owner of Premium Sweets, a high-end dessert and bakery producer, for making substandard tomato sauce and ghee. “Laboratory tests found the foods substandard,” said Kamrul Hasan, a food inspector at the Dhaka South City Corporation, who filed four cases against the food businesses on Sunday. The cases were filed under the Bangladesh Safe Food Act of 2013. The food laboratory at the DSCC found the presence of 1050 ppm of benzoic acid, a preservative, in the tomato sauce collected from the Mohakhali branch of Premium Sweets, far above the permissible limit of 750 ppm. The presence of solids in the tested tomato sauce was found to be 19.18 percent, below the minimum level of 25 per cent. Consumption of food laced with excessive preservatives might lead to kidney diseases and cancer, said the case statement. Ghee produced by Premium Sweets was also found to be substandard in the government lab test. The ghee was produced using substandard oil or any other product, said the statement of a second case. The third arrest warrant was issued against Farhana Haque, the owner of a rooftop restaurant called Platform Services Limited at Paltan. Tomato sauce served at the restaurant was found to be substandard and the inspector seized textile-grade color from the restaurant, which was earlier warned several times for making unsafe food. The fourth arrest warrant was issued against Ahmed Jashim Uddin, the owner of the Hirajheel hotel in Motijheel, for selling the dessert, Finni, illegally using the BSTI certification mark. The restaurant’s kitchen was highly unhygienic and evidence of the restaurant using excessive flavor was found, said the food inspector.

A court in Naogaon on Sunday sentenced a man to life imprisonment for raping a seventh-grade madrasa student over three years back. Judge of Naogaon Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-2 Mehedi Hasan Talukdar also fined the convict Tk 1 lakh, otherwise he will have to serve six more months in jail. The convict is Abdus Salam, 38, a resident of Borsail Madhyapara village in Naogaon Sadar upazila. According to the case statement, the victim’s family had been living in a rented house in Patnitala upazila of the district. Salam was a neighbour of the victim and ran a scrap business. He used to offer illicit proposal to the victim on her way to and from madrasa. 2 get life term for murder in Cumilla On July 11, 2022, Salam abducted the girl from a local market and confined her to a rented house in Bhabanipur Dakshin Para village of Naogaon Sadar and raped her several times. Following a complaint with the Rapid Action Battalion, the victim was rescued from the house and Salam was also arrested. After investigation, police submitted a chargesheet against Salam and three others.