Cumilla
Body recovered in trunk identified after 6 years, 1 arrested: PBI
Police have identified the woman whose body was found in a trunk at Gabtoli Bus stand in 2015 and arrested the prime accused from Cumilla district.
The deceased was Shampa Begum, daughter of Ilias Sheikh a medical assistant hailing from Khulna.
Member of Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) arrested retired navy member Rezaul Karim Shwapon from Cumilla EPZ area on Friday morning.
According to PBI, on March 5, 2015 a man collected a ticket of a Dhaka-bound bus of Eagle Pribahan from Chattogram and kept a trunk in the cargo box of the bus but he didn’t get in.
Also read: Decomposed body of 'foreign citizen' recovered from Kushiara river
As the bus reached Gabtoli bus around 5:45 pm the driver and his assistant found the trunk and informed police out of suspicion.
Police recovered the body and sent it for an autopsy.
As the identity of the woman could not known, the body was buried as an unclaimed one and sub-inspector Jahanur Ali filed a case at Darussalam police station in this regard.
After three months of investigation by police and another four years of investigation by Crime Investigation Department (CID)a report on the case was submitted to a court.
As the victim remained unidentified the court rejected the report and directed to hand over the case to PBI for further investigation in 2019.
Also read: Police recover body of a tourist from Cox's Bazar hotel
The PBI investigation found Shampa was acquainted with Rezaul Karim Shwapon in 2013 and a relationship developed between them but Rezaul did not agree to marry her.
They rented a room at South Green View area under Pahartali polcie station in Chattogram and lived there from 2014 to May, 2015.
Accused Rezaul confessed to killing Shampa by strangulation on March 2, 2015 and later hid the body in the trunk.
Rezaul informed Shampa’s family that he had sent her off to Khulna by a bus.
As she didn’t reach Khulna, her family filed a missing diary and later filed a complaint with Chattogram Naval office against Rezaul.
In 2019, Razaul was sent to forced retirement, said PBI.
Injured rare fishing cat rescued from Cumilla
A rare fishing cat, locally known as ‘Mecho Bagh’, was rescued in an injured condition from Gokulnagar village in Cumilla on Thursday.
According to locals, Anis Mia rescued the injured cat from the road after it was hit by a motorcycle and kept it chained in his house.
Members of police led by Sub-Inspector of Muradnagar police station Abdul Hamid rescued the fishing cat from Anis’s house.
Read: Lethal Russell's Viper snake rescued in Kushtia
SI Hamid said the cat was immediately sent to the upazila livestock department for treatment.
Upazila veterinary surgeon Dr Ishrat Jerin said the injured cat has received primary treatment and the Forest Department has been informed to take necessary steps.
Forester Fazle Rabbi from district Forest Department said there is nothing to be frightened for the locals as Mecho Bagh is not a ferocious animal.
It will be released in the area where it was rescued from after proper treatment, said the official.
Mentally retarded youth charred to death in Cumilla
A mentally challenged youth living in chains was charred to death in a fire that broke out at his house in Paschim Kharera village of Burichang upazila on Tuesday night.
The deceased was identified as Alauddin, 18, a Class XII student of Khasru Degree Government College and son of Abdul Matin of the village.
Read: Three killed as truck hits rickshaw on Cumilla highway
On Tuesday night, a fire broke out at the house. Alauddin was inside the house at that time and could not escape as he had been chained, said Alamgir Hossain, officer-in-charge of Burichang police station.
"Hearing his screams, Alauddin’s mother tried to save her son but failed. The fire also gutted two more adjoining houses," he said.
Cumilla-7 by-polls: Pran Gopal elected unopposed
Prof Pran Gopal Datta, former vice-chancellor of Bangabandu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), was declared elected unopposed in Cumilla-7 by-polls on Monday morning.
He was formally pronounced the winner of the by-polls around 11:00am, Election Officer Md Dulal Talukder told UNB.
Read: Pran Gopal Dutta is AL's pick for Comilla-7 bypoll
His parliament membership was confirmed when NAP nominee Monirul Islam, the only person challenging him for the post, withdrew his candidature on Saturday.
The constituency fell vacant when Ali Ashraf, then MP of the constituency, died at a hospital in Dhaka.
3 die in Cumilla road crash
Three people were killed and four others injured in a three-way collision among a bus, tractor and a CNG-run auto-rickshaw on Cumilla-Noakhali Road in the district's Manoharganj upazila on Saturday.
The deceased were identified as Md Rafi,23, from Manoharganj upazila, Md Yasin,32, and Shadat Mia from Noakhali.
The accident occurred around 10 am when the speeding Dhaka-bound bus of ‘Himachal Paribahan’ from Noakhali hit a tractor first than an auto-rickshaw and finally crushed a CNG-run auto-rickshaw after hitting an electric pole in the Natherpetua area, police said.
The crash left three occupants of the auto-rickshaw dead on the spot, while four other passengers sustained injuries, said Zafar Ahmed, a sub-inspector at Natherpetua police post.
The injured were admitted to Cumilla Medical College Hospital after rescuing.
READ: 2 killed in Bogura road crash
The bodies of the deceased were sent those to the local hospital morgue, the officer said.
The injured were identified as deceased Md Rafi’s relative Mariam Aktar Tanha,7, and Nabil Khan,12, auto rickshaw passenger Abul Hossain and bus passenger Mahafia Begum.
Abul Hossain was later shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital with critical injuries, said SI Zafar.
Road accidents in Bangladesh
Road accidents are common in Bangladesh, and claim a number of lives every year.
During the last Eid-ul-Fitr holiday rush, road accidents claimed 323 lives in just 15 days, according to Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Shamiti, a human rights body.
Besides, 513 people, including 63 children, were killed and 598 injured in 409 road accidents across the country in March, said another NGO Road Safety Foundation on April 5.
READ: Kurigram road crash leaves 3 dead
According to the NGO, 147 lives were lost in 138 motorcycle accidents, which was some 28 of the total deaths.
In a report released in February 2020, the World Bank pointed out that Bangladesh needs to invest an estimated $7.8 billion over the next decade to halve its road crash fatalities.
The report attributed the high death rate on Bangladesh’s roads to lack of investments in systemic, targeted, and sustained road safety programmes.
By-election to Cumilla-7 on Oct 7
By-election to Cumilla-7 constituency that fell vacant with the death of parliamentarian Prof Ali Ashraf will be held on October 7 next.
The Election Commission announced the election schedule on Thursday, said Director (Public Relations) of EC Secretariat SM Asaduzzaman.
As per the schedule, the deadline for the submission of nominations is September 13, while the date for the scrutiny of nomination papers is September 14 and the last date for the withdrawal of candidature is September 19.
Besides, the pending elections to nine municipalities and 161 Union Parishads will be held on September 20 next. The polls were earlier postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The nine municipalities are Nangalkot in Cumilla, Kabirhat in Noakhali, Sonagazi in Feni, Boalkhali in Chattogram, Chakoria and Maheshkhali in Cox’s Bazar, Bhanga in Faridpur, Noapara in Jashore and Debiganj in Panchagarh.
The by-polls to the chairman posts and three vice chairman posts of nine Upazila Parishad, the mayor post and three councilor posts of four separate municipalities, and five councilor posts of five separate city corporations will be held on October 7.
The nine upazila parishad where by-election to the chairman posts will be held are Sonargaon in Narayanganj, Narsingdi Sadar, Khaliajuri in Netrakona, Shahrasti in Chandpur, Jashore Sadar, Srimangal in Moulvibazar, Kachua in Bagerhat, Bajitpur in Kishoreganj and Feni Sadar.
The municipality where the by-polls to the mayoral post will be held is Godagari in Rajshahi.
Derailment: Dhaka-Chattogram rail link resumes after 7 hrs
Rail communication between Dhaka and Chattogram, which remained suspended for seven hours following the derailment of a train bogie on a level crossing near Paduar Bazar Biswa Road rail overpass in Cumilla, was restored on Sunday morning.
Ismail Hossain Siraji, in-charge of Cumilla Railway Police camp, said a bogie of the Chattogram-bound train veered off the tracks around 2 am after collision with a mini truck while it was passing the level crossing, disrupting the rail communication on the route.
However, no causality was reported.
The rail communication resumed around 9:20 am with the movement of Chattogram-bound Bijoy Express.
Liakat Ali Majumdar, assistant engineer of Cumilla Railway Division, said the rest of the bogies were sent to Cumilla Railway Station and Laksham Junction.
Read: Train derailed in Gazipur, disrupts rail communication
A relief train from Laksham Junction rushed to the spot and conducted salvage operation.
Read: Derailment halts Kushita-Rajbari train services
Meanwhile, the railway authorities have formed a 4-member body, headed by Snehashish Das Gupta, Transport officer of Chattogram East Railway Division, to probe the incident.
The committee has been asked to submit its report within Sunday(today).
Cumilla AL groups clash over mourning day event
Two groups Cumilla Awami League (AL) clashed with each other at a national mourning day event in Cumilla’s Barura Sunday morning.
It was learned that the chase and chase occurred between the followers of MP Nasimul Alam Chowdhury Nazrul and Barura Upazila Parishad chairman ANM Moinul Islam leaving three injured.
According to locals, when the followers of Moinul Islam reached Zero Point at Barua Bazar with the rally, followers of Nasimul Alam chased them and eventually clashed.
READ: Bogura youth hacked to death in a clash
Nurul Islam, President of Barura Upazila Swechchhasebak League, a supporter of the Chairman, said, "When we reached Zero Point of Barura Bazar with a rally on the occasion of National Mourning Day, the supporters of MP Nazrul attacked us."
One of our party leaders named Mozammel was seriously injured who is undergoing treatment at Cumilla Medical College Hospital, he added.
Officer-in-charge of Baruda Police Station Iqbal Bahar Majumder said police were deployed in the market at the time of the incident. So, it was possible to take control over the situation.
READ: 2 killed, 15 injured in clash between AL and BNP supporters
Legal action will be taken if any complaint is received from the injured, he added.
Cumilla councillor gives Covid shots, sparks row
A controversy has erupted after photos of a ward councillor in
Cumilla city administering Covid jabs have gone viral on social media.
Nadia Nasrin, the councillor representing wards 4, 5 & 6, has been accused of giving Moderna vaccine doses to 125 people on Thursday, without any authorisation from the health authorities.
Also read: Madrasa teacher arrested after video of beating student goes viral
Sources told UNB the health authorities, on August 9, suspended the vaccination drive at Harun Government Primary School in ward number 6 owing to some issues.
That very day, mayor Monirul Haque Sakku told the media that the remaining 125 Covid vaccine doses were kept in his custody. Three days later, the viral photos triggered the "illegal vaccine drive" controversy.
When contacted, Cumilla district civil surgeon Mir Mobarok Hossain said that a councillor can’t administer vaccine doses to people. "The city corporation authorities will need to respond to the allegations."
Also read: Khulna man gets 2 doses of vaccine in one minute
However, Nadia claimed that she's a certified vaccine pusher.
Fire breaks out at polybag factory in Cumilla
A fire broke out at a polybag manufacturing factory in the Bara Alampur area of Cumilla's Adarsh Sadar upazila early on Tuesday.
Akhtaruzzaman Liton, assistant director of the Cumilla Fire Service and Civil Defense, said the blaze started at Miami Roto Products Limited around 7.30 am and soon engulfed portions of the factory.
Read: Leather factory in Narayanganj catches fire
On information, three fire tenders were soon rushed to the spot. Later, three more tenders were pressed into service and it took them a good two hours to douse the flames.
However, the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, Liton said.