Law-&-Order
3 get life term in murder case in Sirajganj
A Sirajganj Court on Tuesday was sentenced a man and his two sons to life imprisonment in a case over killing his brother in Tarash upazila of the district in 2016.
The lifers are- Nurul Islam, 48, of Mohishluti Uttarpara village in Tarash upazila and his two sons Md Hasmatullah, 30 and Md Hasan Ali.
Sirajganj District and Sessions Judge Fazle Khoda Md Nazir handed down the verdict in the presence of the convicts at 12pm.
The convicts were fined Tk 20,000 each, in default, to suffer another year of rigorous imprisonment.
Public Prosecutor (PP) of Sirajganj District Sessions Judge Court Advocate Gazi Abdur Rahman confirmed the verdict.
According to the case, the convict Nurul Islam along with his two sons stabbed his brother Rahmat Ali dead over a land dispute on March 4 in 2016.
Later, a case was filed at Tarash Police Station. After an investigation, police submitted charge-sheet before the court in this regard.
CJ Sinha corruption case: Spl court defers judgment to Oct 21
A special court in Dhaka Tuesday deferred to October 21 the pronouncement of its judgment in the graft case against former chief justice Surendra Kumar Sinha and 10 others.
As Dhaka Special Judge (Court-4) Sheikh Nazmul Alam Khan has gone on leave, acting judge Ali Hossain fixed October 21 as the new date.
Read: CJ Sinha case: Judgment on Oct 5
On September 14, the court fixed October 5 as the judgment day in the graft case filed against the former chief justice and 10 others for laundering Tk 4 crore. This was after both the state lawyer and the defence counsel concluded their arguments.
On August 29, seven of the 11 accused in the case pleaded "not guilty" in the case.
They are Mahbubul Haque Chisty, former audit committee chairman of Farmers Bank, former managing director of the bank AKM Shamim, first vice presidents Swapan Kumar Rat and Md Lutful Haque, and former SEVPs Gazi Salahudiin, Md Shahjahan and Niranjan Chandra Saha.
On August 24, the defence lawyers grilled the investigating officer of the case, Benazir Ahmed, the director of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Some 21 witnesses had testified in the case.
On July 10, 2019, the ACC filed the case accusing former chief justice SK Sinha and 10 others of accumulating illegal wealth and laundering Tk 4 crore.
Read: Money laundering case: EX- CJ Sinha among 11 indicted
On September 25, 2019, the anti-graft body summoned five officials of Farmers Bank for interrogation over the deposit of Tk 4 crore in CJ Sinha’s account with the Supreme Court branch of Sonali Bank.
On December 10, 2019, the investigation officer in the case filed a chargesheet against the 11 accused. On August 13, 2020, a court framed charges against the 11, including Sinha.
2 death-row convicts to be executed for killing two women after rape
Two death-row convicts will be executed on Monday night in connection with a case filed for killing two women after violating them in Alamdanga upazila of Chuadanga district.
The execution of the two men —Mintu alias Kalu, 50 and Aziz alias Azizul, 50 of Laxmipur village in Alamdanga upazila—will take place at Jashore Central Jail around 10:45 pm, authorities said.
The jail authorities are taking preparation in this regard.
Also read: Man executed for killing his wife 17 years ago
According to the jail authorities, prisoners Mashier, Ketu, Kamal and others were trained to execute them.
Tuhin Kanti Khan, Jailer of Jashore Central Jail, said the relatives of the two condemned convicts visited them finally on Saturday.
Deputy Commissioner, Police Commissioner and Civil Surgeon will be present during the execution.
Azizul and Mintu gang-raped women at Railaxmipur village in Alamdanga upazila and strangled them to death with scarfs.
On September 28, 2003, the family of the two victims lodged complaints with Alamdanga Police Station in Chuadanga.
On July 26, 2007, Chuadanga Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal Judge sentenced Azizul and Mintu to death.
Also read: JMB member executed in Gazipur jail
The court also fined them Tk 2 lakh each.
Later, the two convicts filed an appeal against the lower court order.
On November 11, 2012, the High Court upheld the lower court verdict. Besides, Appellate Division of the Supreme Court also upheld the lower court verdict on July 26, this year.
The two convicts also filed mercy petitions before the President which were also rejected.
The jail authorities received a letter regarding it on September 8.
According to the prosecution, Kamela Khatun, 30 and her friend Finge Begum, 32 of Jorgachha village in Alamdanga upazila, were found dead in a field at Railaxmipur village on September 27, 2003.
During investigation, police unearthed that the victims were strangulated to death after rape. Later, the convicts also slit the throat of the two women to ensure their deaths.
A case was filed against four people—Mintu, Azizul, Mahi and Sujon-- with Alamdanga Police Station on the following day.
During the trial, Mahi, an accused of the case, died while Sujon was acquitted by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court and he walked out from jail on July 20.
Judgment in Babar’s graft case on Oct 12
A Dhaka court on Monday fixed October 12 for delivering its judgment in a case filed against ex-state minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar for amassing illegal wealth worth Tk 7.5 crore.
Judge Mohammad Shahidul Islam of Dhaka Special Judge Court-7 fixed the date after closing the law-point arguments from both sides.
Read:Babar, 18 others to die; Tarique among 19 get life term
On January 13, 2008, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case with Ramna Model Police Station.
On July 16, 2008, deputy assistant secretary of ACC, Rupok Kumar Saha submitted a chargesheet against him.
Babar was arrested from his Gulshan residence on May 28, 2007. He was sentenced to 17 years’ imprisonment in an arms case on October 30, 2007.
Read: Verdict in Aug 21 grenade attack cases: Babar, Salam among 31 accused taken to court
He was also sentenced to death in the 10-truck arms haul and August-21 grenade attack cases.
In 2018, a speedy trial tribunal sentenced 19 people, including Babar, to death in a case filed over the August-21 grenade attack on an Awami League rally in the capital in 2004.
Noakhali housewife molestation: 2 get life term
A tribunal in Noakhali on Monday sentenced two people to life imprisonment in a case over the rape of a housewife at Joykrishnapur village in Begumganj upazila of Noakhali district in September last year.
The horrific incident of sexual violence after around 10 days of another rape incident at Sylhet’s MC College sparked huge outcry across the country.
The lifers are Delwar Hossain alias Delu, leader of ‘Delwar Bahini’ and his associate Mohammad Ali alias Abul Kalam, residents of Eklashpur union of the upazila.
Read: Noakhali Housewife Molestation: Probe finds involvement of victim’s husband
Noakhali Women and Child Repression Prevention Tribunal-1 Judge Joynal Abedin handed down the verdict in the presence of the convicts at 11am.
The convicts were fined Tk 50,000 each, in default, to suffer three months more rigorous imprisonment.
Advocate Mamunur Rashid Lablu stood for the state while advocate Mollah Habibur Rasul Mamun represented the plaintiff and advocate Jasim Uddin Badal for the accused.
According to court sources, the court had earlier framed charges against the accused on February 17. Later on August 18, the testimony of the plaintiff was recorded in the presence of the accused.
Read: Noakhali housewife molestation: Rape case filed against Delwar
On October 6 in 2020, the victim filed the case against Delwar and Kalam at Begumganj Model Police Station under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.
The case was later handed over to the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI). The PBI submitted a chargesheet to the court on December 15, 2020.
Police said Delwar violated the victim several times at gun point one year ago.
According to the case statement, the victim was molested by some local miscreants of ‘Delwar Bahini’ at Ward No. 9 of Eklashpur Union on September 2 in 2020.
The incident came to light after a video of the barbaric incident went viral on the internet.
Read: Noakhali housewife molestation: Two more accused held
The miscreants tortured the housewife after undressing her and captured it on phone. The video sent a shock wave throughout the country, triggering protests everywhere.
The victim filed two cases accusing nine people 33 days after the incident.
One of the cases was filed under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act and another under the Pornography Control Act.
Viral e-scams: Qcoom the latest to bite the dust
Even as online shoppers continue to be cheated in an epidemic of e-commerce scams in the country, detectives placed the founder and CEO of Qcoom, another such platform, under arrest on charges of fraudulence and embezzlement.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Asheque Imam on Monday granted remand for two days when police Ripon Miah before the court seeking 10 days' remand in the case filed under the Digital Security Act (DSA).
Ripon’s counsel filed a petition seeking bail for his client.
A team of the Detective Branch of police of Motijheel Zonal team arrested the Qcoom CEO from Dhanmondi on Sunday.
Additional Police Commissioner of DB KM Hafiz Akhter revealed this information at a press briefing at DMP Media Centre today.
Read: Ponzi fraudulence: ringID director held in city
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Asheque Imam passed the order when police produced him before the court seeking remand for 10 days in the case filed under the Digital Security Act (DSA).
Ripon’s counsel filed a petition seeking bail for his client.
Detectives conducted the drive after a complaint was lodged against Qcoom.
“Qcoom is involved in selling its products online with many officers. They were involved in attracting people with many offers at low price in the name of ‘Bijoy hour’, Índependent Hour’, and ‘Big billion’ offer. Customers used to grab their offers as the company offered a motorbike worth Tk 1.67 lakh at Tk 1.20 lakh under some offer,”said KM Hafiz.
Qcoom used to get their payment through the payment gateway Foster, he said.
Ripon's arrest comes at a time when the country’s e-commerce sector has been rattled by scams of different e-commerce platforms like Evaly, E-orange and Dhamaka.
On October 2, members of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested Saiful Islam, director of ringID, a social media platform, from Gulshan in the capital on charge of misappropriating huge money.
The arrest followed a case filed by an aggrieved person against 25 people, including 10 named and 15 unnamed ones, with Bhatara police on September 30.
The controversial social media platform allegedly embezzled over Tk 200 crore in just three months this year by alluring people in its investment (Ponzi) scheme promising online income.
Evaly
Evaly CEO Mohammad Rassel and his wife Shamima Nasrin were arrested after an aggrieved customer, Arif Baker, lodged a case with Gulshan police station accusing them and few other company executives of embezzlement and fraudulence.
Sub-inspector Ahidul Islam, the investigation officer of the case, said the case was registered over the allegation of embezzlement of money and fraudulence.
Besides, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), an arm of the Bangladesh Bank that specializes in financial crime investigations, directed all the commercial banks and financial institutions through a common letter on August 27 to freeze all the bank accounts operated by top executives of Evaly.
The Directorate of National Consumer Right Protection, a department under the Commerce Ministry, received allegations from consumers about “cheating” by Evaly.
Bangladesh Bank officials said one of the major allegations against Evaly is forcing its consumers to deposit their money in the e-wallet of the firm which was totally illegal.
E-orange
On September 2, a Dhaka court sent virtual outlet e-orange.shop owner Sonia Mehzabin, her husband Masukur Rahman and, Chief Operating Officer, Aman Ullah to jail in a fraud case filed over embezzlement of Tk 1,100 crore from consumers.
Earlier on August 23, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Morshed Al Mamun Bhuiyan placed the accused on a 5-day remand in the fraud case.
On August 17, the court sent them to jail rejecting their bail prayers when they surrendered to Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Abubakar Siddique's court.
Read: Evaly's liabilities over Tk 1,000 crore
On August 16, an aggrieved customer of E-Orange Md, Taherul Islam, filed a fraud case with Gulshan police in presence of 37 other customers who testified against the accused.
HC asks ACC to capture real money launderers instead of businessmen
The High Court on Sunday told the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to focus on capturing the 'real' big-scale money launderers instead of businessmen.
The court said those who have built ‘Begum Para’ outside the country and siphon out money to countries abroad are the real money launderers and ACC should take actions against them.
The HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and KM Zahid Sarwar said this to ACC lawyer during a hearing on the anticipatory bail petition of Dinajpur businessman and district Jubo League leader Khalilullah Azad in case of money laundering.
The court granted the accused 8-day bail on condition of submitting his passport and bar on leaving the country.
Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua presented the petitioner’s side during the hearing while lawyer Md Khurshid Alam Khan appeared for ACC. Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Amit Talukder stood for the state.
DAG Amit Talukder said a petition against the bail order will be filed with the appellate division.Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua said the Crime investigation Department (CID) of police filed a case against Khalilullah for laundering Tk 35 crore though ACC was supposed to file the case.
Moreover, according to the case complaint Khalilullah deposited more than Tk 14 crore in a Sonali Bank branch in Dinajpur and later credited the money in different times which does not actually exist, he said.
Khalilullah Azad was granted bail in 22 other cases.
On February 1, his family said in a press briefing that 16 cases had been filed against the businessman within four months when he was already behind the bars.
Banani double rape: 5 accused sent to jail, verdict on October 12
A Dhaka court has set October 12 to deliver its verdict in the case of rape of two private university students at a hotel in Dhaka’s posh Banani area four years ago on completion of prosecution and defense arguments.
Dhaka Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-7 Judge Begum Kamrunnahar also cancelled the bail of five accused and directed to send them to jail after hearing both sides, said the plaintiff’s lawyer Faruque Ahmed.
On June 7, 2017, investigation officer of the case Inspector Ismot Ara submitted a charge sheet to the court against the five accused.
On June 19, the same year the tribunal accepted the charge sheet.
Rape charges was pressed against accused Safat Ahmed and Nayeem Ashraf while charges for assisting in rape was pressed against Safat’s friend Sadman Sakif, Shafat's driver Billal Hossain and bodyguard Rahmat Ali.
On May 6, 2017, one of the two abused girls filed the case with Banani Police Station against five persons including Shafat and Shadman Sakif.
According to the case statement, Safat and Nayeem raped the plaintiff and her friend on March 28 at The Raintree Dhaka in the capital's Banani area while the three others assisted them.
The victims were acquainted with Safat through Sadman two weeks before the incident and they were tricked in attending a grand program at the hotel on that day, said the statement.
Mohib Ullah murder: 2 placed on 3-day remand
A Cox’s Bazar court on Sunday placed two people on a three-day remand in a case over the killing Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah.
Cox’s Bazar Senior Judicial Magistrate Tamanna Farah passed the order in the morning.
Read: 4 held over Mohib Ullah murder; 7-day remand sought for 2
Those remanded are—Mohamamd Selim alias Lamba Selim and Shawkat Ullah.
Earlier on Saturday, police produced them before the judge with a 7-day remand prayer, said court inspector Chandan Kumar Chakrawarty.
Four suspects have so far been arrested in connection with Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah’s murder at Lambashia camp-1 in Ukhiya.
Shawkat was arrested on Saturday afternoon from a Kutupalong Rohingya camp, said officer-in-charge of Ukhiya police station Sanjur Morshed.
Read:Mohib's murder: FIR lodged, probe in full swing, say police
Armed Police Battalion (APBn) personnel arrested Ziaur and Salam on Friday from Kutupalong camps and Selim on Friday noon from Kutupalong camp-6.
SP Naimul Haque, commander of the 14th APBn, said the three arrestees were later handed over to Ukhiya police station.
On Thursday night, police registered a murder case over Mohib Ullah’s murder following a complaint from Mohib Ullah’s brother Habib Ullah, said officer-in-charge Sanjur Morshed.
Read: Momen vows to bring Mohib's killers to justice
Unknown assailants gunned down Mohib on Wednesday night.
He was buried in Lambashia camp-1 in Ukhiya upazila on Thursday afternoon after his namaz-e-janaza, which was attended by a large number of Rohingya refugees from camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf upazilas.
Formerly a teacher in Myanmar, the slain activist was popularly known as Master Mohib Ullah among the Rohingya refugees. He was the head of Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARSPH) at Kutupalong camp.
Ctg court bomb blast: ‘Boma’ Mizan to die, another gets life term
A tribunal in Chattogram on Sunday sentenced a top leader of the banned militant outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) to death and another to life term imprisonment in a case over a bomb attack on Chattogram court premises in 2005.
The condemned convict is Mizan alias Zahidul Islam alias ‘Boma’ Mizan while the lifer is Zabed Iqbal alias Mohamamd, commander of JMB’s Chattogram division.
Read: Suspected Ansarullah militants held in Mymensingh
Judge Abdul Halim of Chattogram Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal handed down the verdict.
Zabed is now behind bars while ‘Boma’ Mizan was tried in absentia.
On February, 13, 2014, some militants snatched Mizan while he was being taken to Mymensingh from Gazipur’s Kashimpur jail. Since then, he has been on the run.
According to the prosecution, Rajib Barua, a police constable, and Shahabuddin, a justice seeker, were killed as militants hurled a bomb on a police check-post on the court premises on November 29, 2005.
Ten people, including cops and pedestrians, were also injured in the attack.
Read: N’ganj raid: ‘Militant’ held with bomb, bomb-making materials
Later in the day, a case was filed with Kotwali Police Station.
On May 18, 2006, then DB inspector Hla Ching Pru submitted a chargesheet against five people, including JMB chief Abdur Rahman, its second-in-command Siddiqur Rahman alias Bangla bhai, its military commander Ataur Rahman Sunny, ‘Boma’ Mizan and Zabed in the case.
On July 16, 2006, the court framed charges against them.
JMB leaders Abdur Rahman, Bangla Bhai and Sunny were dropped from the case as they were hanged in another case.
Read: HC releases full text of verdict upholding death penalty of 10 militants
Later in 2018, the case was shifted to the Chattogram Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal.
After examining the records and witnesses, the tribunal handed down the verdict.