United News of Bangladesh

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Thursday froze over Tk 5 crore from the 13 bank accounts of Motalles Hossain, his related organisations and individuals for collecting money by imitating former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia's voice. According to the court order, CID seized Tk 5,03,33,782 from the bank accounts, said Jashim Uddin Khan, special superintendent of police (Media). During investigation, CID found suspicious dealing of Tk 26.84 crore of the bank account of Motalles and his organisations. An investigation is also underway to review his immovable assets and financial activities to examine any links to money laundering and the accumulation of wealth through illegal means. Besides, the CID is continuing efforts to collect information from victims of fraud and to identify other suspected members of the organised group involved in the incident.  

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Thursday approved the filing of the case over land acquisition fraud under the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (Line-1) involving the construction of the depot access corridor at Pitalganj mouza in Rupganj upazila of Narayanganj district. According to preliminary investigations, Riaz Uddin (57), son of Haji Meraj Uddin fraudulently withdrew around Tk 4.73 crore from the government treasury under the pretense of land acquisition compensation. CID freezes assets worth Tk 7 crore of Pabna drug lord Shaheen Alam It has been revealed that the accused filed five General Diaries (GDs) with Rupganj Police Station, claiming that the original deeds of the relevant land had been lost. He then submitted certified copies of these deeds obtained from the sub-registry office to claim compensation. Further investigation found that the land in question had already been mortgaged to a financial institution (Sonali Bank), and the mortgage deed remains valid.

Police on Thursday submitted a chargesheet against of 221 people including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Awami League (AL) General Secretary Obaidul Quader in a student murder case involving the July Uprising in Feni. Superintendent of Police of Feni Md Habibur Rahman said this at a press conference at his office on Thursday. He said156 identified people and unnamed 65 others have been chargesheeted, and no one of them has been implicated considering their political affiliations. Hasina and Nizam Hazari were mentioned in the chargehseet as direct instructors and those found involved in the murder were implicated, he said. A total of 51 accused have so far been arrested in the case and 11 of them gave confessional statements before the court, he said. Some of the accused include former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former local MPs Nizam Uddin Hazari, Lt Gen (retd) Masud Uddin Chowdhury, General Secretary of Sadar Upazila Awami League Shusen Chandra Shil, and General Secretary of Municipal Awami League Nazrul Islam Sopan Miazi. Students from at least 37 colleges implicated in case filed over Sunday's violence Earlier in the day, the chargesheets were submitted with Feni Sadar Amali Court. On August 4 last year, college student Mahbubul Hasan Masum sustained bullet injuries in his head when Awami League supporters opened fire at an anti-government movement in Feni’s Mohifal area. On August 7, he succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at Chittagong Medical College Hospital. On September 4, the victim’s brother Mohammad Mahmudul Hasan filed a naming 162 people and unnamed 400 to 5000 others with Feni Model Police Station. A total of seven murder and 15 attempted murder cases have so far been lodged in Feni in connection with the July uprising. Some 2, 199 identified people and unidentified 4, 000 others have been accused in the cases while over 1000 have so far been arrested.

A court has ordered the seizure of nearly Tk 7 crore worth of assets belonging to Shaheen Alam, a notorious drug dealer from Pabna’s Ataikula area, following an investigation by the Financial Crime Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) over allegations of money laundering and amassing illegal wealth. According to CID sources, a case (No. 10, dated 14/03/2023) was filed under Section 4(2) of the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2012 (Amended in 2015), accusing Shaheen Alam of accumulating large sums of money through drug trafficking. Preliminary investigations revealed that Shaheen acquired 192.67 decimals of land and other valuable immovable properties, estimated to be worth around Tk 6.5 crore. Upon CID’s request, the court ordered these assets to be seized. Additionally, authorities uncovered suspicious transactions totaling Tk 6.62 crore across 10 bank accounts under Shaheen Alam's name. Currently, Tk 42.43 lakh remains in these accounts, which have been frozen following the court order. Although Shaheen presented himself as a dairy businessman, the CID investigation found that he is in fact the leader of a well-organised drug syndicate in Ataikula, allegedly involved in long-term drug trafficking operations and illegal wealth accumulation. CID officials said investigations are ongoing to trace more movable and immovable properties linked to the accused in different parts of the country. Legal proceedings are underway, and steps are being taken to bring all individuals involved in the crimes to justice.

A trader was hacked to death on his way home from a local market in Sarail upazila of Brahmanbaria district Tuesday night. The deceased was identified as Mostafa Kamal, son of late Momin Mia of Nandypara village under Kalikachha union of the upazila. Police and locals said some miscreants indiscriminately hacked him with sharp weapons while returning home from the  market at dark nearby his house. Hearing screams; locals rushed to the spot and informed his family members who rushed him to Upazila Health Complex where physicians declared him dead upon arrival. CNG owner hacked to death in Gendaria over enmity Officer-in-charge of Sarail Police Station Morshedul Alam Chowdhury said the body was sent to Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy. Senior police officials visited the spot and an investigation is underway to identify and arrest those involved  in the murder, he added.

The Appellate Division on Wednesday acquitted Mobarak Hossain, a death-row convict and expelled Awami League leader, in a case over crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War. A five-member tribunal, headed by Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed, passed the order. Senior lawyer Barrister Imran Abdullah Siddique stood for the convict while Prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim represented the state during the hearing in the court. Earlier, on July 22, the court set July 30 to deliver its verdict on the appeal filed by the convict challenging his death sentence. He was convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on November 24, 2014 for atrocities committed in Brahmanbaria during the 1971 Liberation War. The ICT handed down the judgment after finding two out of five allegations to be true. Mobarak is now in jail. Muradnagar rape: HC summons SP on failure to submit progress report Mobarka served as the organising secretary of Mogra Union Awami League under Akhaura Upazila, Brahmanbaria District, until 2012. Later, he was expelled from the party. Earlier on May 27 this year, the Appellate Division also acquitted death-row convict Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam in a war crimes case. The following day, he was freed from Dhaka's Central Jail. Two death-row convicts have been acquitted following the fall of the AL government on August 5 last.

Another case has been filed against over 5, 400 leaders and activists of Awami League (AL) and its associate bodies, including the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), over the attack on an NCP rally in Gopalganj on July 16, raising the number of cases over it to 13. Police said the highest number of people have been made accused in the latest case, as 1, 134 identified people in the 13 cases and 14, 500 people unnamed others. Inspector of Gopalganj Sadar Police Station Md Motiar Molla filed the last case naming 447 accused and 5, 000 unnamed others on Tuesday evening, said officer-in-charge Mir Md Sajedur Rahman. Some of the identified accused are Mahbub Ali Khan, President of Gopalganj Awami League, Sheikh Rakib Hossain, former Mayor of Gopalganj municipality, Kazi Liaquat Ali Leku, President of Sadar Upazila Awami League, MM Masud Rana, acting President of District Jubo League, Babul Sheikh, General Secretary of Tungipara Upazila Jubo League, Jahid Mahamud Bappi, former President of Upazila Jubo League and Nitish Roy, former Vice Chairman of Sadar Upazila, Golam Kabir. Govt forms six-member body to investigate Gopalganj violence According to the latest case statement, the accused were involved in anti-state and government activities and barred government officials from performing their duties on July 16. The accused also hurled cocktails targeting law enforcers with a view to killing them. On that day, the violence erupted when unidentified miscreants attacked an NCP motorcade on its way from Gopalganj to Madaripur after their rally. Later, clashes broke out between protesters and law enforcement agencies, leaving five people dead and over 50 injured, prompting the authorities to enforce curfew to maintain law and order.

A Dhaka court on Wednesday placed former Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque on a seven-day remand in a case over graft and the delivery of a manipulated judgment.  Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Sanaullah passed the order after hearing a prayer for remand.  Investigation officer (IO) of the case Khaleq Mia, inspector of Shahbagh Police Station, produced the accused before the court with a plea for a 10-day remand.  According to the case statement, the former chief justice unlawfully wrote the ruling on the 13th amendment to the constitution in 2012.  Then justices Mohammad Mozammel Hossain, Surendra Kumar Sinha and Syed Mahmud Hossain signed on the judgement. A lawyer filed the case on August 27 last year with the Shahbagh Police station.   SC upholds HC order scraping defamation case against Yunus in M’sing On July 23 this year, detectives arrested Khairul from his Dhanmondi residence. Later, the court sent him to jail in a case of murder involving the July uprising in Jatrabari area. On September 30 in 2010, Khairul Haque took oath as the 19th Chief Justice of the country and retired on May 17, 2011.  During the last days of the Awami League government, Khairul Haque was the chairman of the Law Commission. Following the fall of Awami League government, he resigned from the Law Commission on August 13. 

Members of the Bangladesh Army have raided a hideout of the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) in a remote hilly area of Baghaichhari upazila in Rangamati. The operation was carried out on Tuesday, according to a media release from the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR). During the operation an exchange of gunfire occurred, later security forces recovered firearms, including an AK-47 rifle, ammunition and other military equipment from the hideout, reads it. Gunfight between JSS-UPDF men reportedly leaves four dead in Khagrachhari Further details of the incident, including possible casualties or arrests, will be shared later, the ISPR said.

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Monday reaffirmed his government's unwavering commitment to combating terrorism, declaring that Bangladesh will not allow any terrorist group to operate within its borders. “Combating terrorism is our top priority. We have zero tolerance for terrorism in Bangladesh. We will exert every effort to eliminate terrorists from our soil,” the Chief Adviser said. Prof Yunus made the remarks during a meeting with US Chargé d’ Affaires Tracey Ann Jacobson at the state guest house Jamuna in the afternoon. During the 40-minute meeting, they discussed matters of mutual interest, including the ongoing tariff negotiations between Bangladesh and the United States. Chargé d’Affaires Jacobson reiterated her government’s support for Bangladesh’s reform efforts and its democratic transition, which is expected to culminate in national elections early next year. The Chief Adviser also shared updates on the work of the National Consensus-Building Commission, which is striving to bring political parties together around key reforms. “I believe the commission is doing an excellent job. The members, led by Professor Ali Riaz, are working diligently,” he added.