law-order
Indian BSF delegation in city to attend the 54th border conference
A nine member delegation led by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) Director General (DG) Nitin Agrawal has arrived in the city to attend the five-day long 54th border conference at DG level in Dhaka’s BGB headquarters on Tuesday.
BGB DG Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui and his spouse Nawrin Ashraf welcomed the BSF delegation with flowers upon their arrival at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the morning. Smita Agrawal, wife of the BSF head, is accompanying him during his visit to Bangladesh.
Later, the Indian delegation was taken to the BGB headquarters where the BSF chief paid respect to the BGB members who sacrificed their lives during the country’s liberation war in 1971.
Moreover, another delegation of ‘BSF Wives Welfare Association’ also came to the country at the invitation of the BGB Shimanto Paribar Kalyan Samity (SHIPKS) Chief Patron Nawrin Ashraf.
The delegates of the Indian welfare association are scheduled to attend several events hosted by the SHIPKS and Shimanto Ladies Club.
This visit of BSF DG will play a very effective role in resolving the border problems of both the countries including strengthening the existing mutual trust, cordial relations and strengthening bilateral cooperation between the border guarding forces of Bangladesh and India.
The BSF delegation will return to India on March 9 wrapping up the five day DG level border conference.
RAB busts extensive network of brokers exploiting DMCH
In a major crackdown, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) -3 has arrested 58 active members of an extensive broker network at Dhaka Medical College Hospital involved in financial exploitation and commission gains through patient transfers to various private hospitals in the capital, including.
From the morning until noon on Monday, a comprehensive operation was conducted at DMCH, said Md Arifur Rahman, RAB- 3 deputy director (media).
ACC finds irregularities in providing medical services to patients at DMCH
The crackdown aimed at curbing financial exploitation and commission gains through patient transfers to several private hospitals where brokers played a significant role, he said.
Interrogation of the arrested members revealed that a complex network had evolved around patients seeking emergency medical care and their relatives. The primary focus of this network was new patients arriving from rural and suburban areas and the families of existing patients. Members of this broker network actively engaged in deceptive practices, misleading patients into being admitted to various private hospitals in the capital, said the RAB official.
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Furthermore, the brokers were involved in activities such as patient admission, seat allocation, collecting examination reports, providing trolley services, and wheelchair assistance, all aimed at financial gains and commissions. Additionally, they misled patients about their diagnostic reports, convincing them to pay extra charges at different diagnostic centres.
During interrogation, it was uncovered that the wheelchair and trolley-centric broker network aggressively demanded higher amounts of money from the families of vulnerable patients, acting as a hurdle until the payment was made. Until the payment was settled, these brokers pressured the helpless patients and their families, added Arifur.
RMG worker injured in clash with law enforcers dies at DMCH
These brokers operated prominently near the emergency department, outdoor departments, OTs, wards, and cabins of the hospital. Besides providing false assurances of prompt and quality healthcare services, they quickly deceived patients into paying substantial amounts through misleading medical treatments within a short period, he also said.
Moreover, they collected blood from the streets during late hours and stored it in unsanitary conditions, later selling it at exorbitant prices to the families of critically ill patients. Exposing their malpractices could lead to aggressive and hostile actions against the patients and their families.
Legal procedures are now in progress against the arrested individuals to address the extensive exploitation and corruption within the hospital environment, the RAB official said.
DB increases surveillance on upscale restaurants after Bailey Road fire
In the wake of the recent fire incident on Bailey Road in the capital, Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police has initiated increased surveillance on upscale restaurants across the city.
The focus is on ensuring proper fire safety measures and assessing emergency exit routes.
Two multi-storied buildings in Dhanmandi declared 'Risky'
Additional Commissioner and DB Chief Mohammad Harun or Rashid on Monday revealed that steps are being taken to avoid negligence in the aftermath of such accidents. He emphasized the importance of adhering to building regulations and conducting thorough inspections of establishments.
The DB chief highlighted that if proper checks had been in place earlier, incidents like those in Bangabazar, Nimtoli, and Banani's FR Tower might have been prevented.
High Court issues rule on compensation for Bailey Road fire victims
“I do not know whether all these restaurants were approved or not, whether the fire service supervised them properly. And the rooms were arranged in such a way that there was no chance of air to pass. If there was proper ventilation, there would not have been so many casualties. Even if there is an accident, people will go to the roof and survive, there was no way to go there as restaurant has been built there,” he said.
"After an incident happens, we grieve, we give knowledge. But if all the agencies in charge do their job, we wouldn’t have to witness so many loss of lives in the past, including the Bailey Road. So this time DMP police and DB police are keeping an eye on various restaurants in the capital,” said the DB chief.
Ensure punishment of those responsible for Bailey Road inferno
"We are investigating the compliance of every restaurant with safety standards. We are checking if any restaurants in Dhaka lack fire safety measures. We are also assessing the availability of emergency exit routes. If any irregularities are found, we will promptly inform the concerned authorities for appropriate action,” Harun added.
Madrasa girl raped in Bhola; one of two accused arrested
Locals rescued a minor madrasa student, hearing her cry for help when a man was raping her in Bhola’s Chor Fashion upazila on Sunday.
Police detained the accused Utpal Chandra Shil, 22, after locals handed him over.
On Monday afternoon, accused Utpal was sent to the Char Fashion Senior Judicial Magistrate Court by Shashin Bhushan Police Station.
According to locals, the girl was raped in a secluded garden of a farm named Daulatganj Agro and Dairy Farm adjacent to Daulatganj Bazar of Ewajpur village in the upazila.
One of the eyewitnesses took a video shot and submitted it as proof to police.
According to locals and police, about 10/12 days ago, the accused Utpal introduced himself to the girl on the streets. On Sunday afternoon, Utpal called the child to the Basharat Ullah Chowmuhani area. From there, he and his accomplice Suman forcibly took her to that spot.
Police couldn’t arrest the accomplice Suman yet.
Two multi-storied buildings in Dhanmandi declared 'Risky'
A mobile court, jointly conducted by Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) directorate and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), on Monday declared two multi-storied building of Dhanmondi area in the city as ‘Risky’.
Besides, the mobile court also fined a total Tk 6 lakh to four organisations for not taking fire license and violating conditions of fire license.
Md. Jahangir Alam, Executive Magistrate of the DSCC, was leading the mobile court, which conducted a drive in the afternoon. One of the two buildings is Carey Crescent Building in Jhigatla and the other is Rupayan ZR Plaza on Satmasjid Road.
During the drive, the mobile court sealed the Carey Crescent building for lack of fire safety and also fined " Visa Worldwide", a student consultancy, Tk 3 lakh for the same reason.
The Executive Magistrate of the mobile court also fined the Buffet Lounge and Buffet Paradise restaurants inside Rupayan ZR Plaza of Tk 1 lakh each restaurant for not complying with the conditions of the license and Tk one lakh to the Buffet Empire Restaurant inside the same building for not obtaining a fire license.
Besides, the mobile court declared the two buildings as "risky" as there were no proper fire fighting system according to the Fire Prevention and Extinguishing Act 2003.
'Risky' banners were put up on the two buildings by the Fire Service and Civil Defence. Most of the restaurants, showrooms and offices in the two buildings were unoccupied.
Zone Commander of Dhaka-2 Mr. Md. Tanharul Islam, warehouse inspector of that area Md. Golam Mostafa and other officials were present during the drive.
Body of newlywed woman recovered from husband’s Pallabi residence
The body of a newlywed woman was recovered from her residence in Pallabi area of Dhaka on Sunday (March 03, 2024) evening.
The deceased was identified as Mahfuza Motaleb, wife of Aminul Islam.
Pallabi police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Apurbo Hasan said Aminul and Mahfuza got married around three months back.
Read more: Father, son found dead in Dhaka’s Badda
Quoting Mahfuza’s family, the OC said Aminul used to torture Mahfuza demanding dowry since their marriage as his mother-in-law has an FDR of Tk 7 lakh.
On Sunday evening, Aminul phoned Mahfuza’ family asking to come to his residence as she fell sick. When they reached their home they found her dead.
On information, a police team recovered the body from the house and sent to Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy, the police officer said.
Police, however, arrested the husband in this connection and Mahfuza’s family filed a case.
Read more: Mother, daughter hacked to death in Gopalganj
IGP wants greater rate of conviction in cases
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun on Sunday directed senior police officers to increase the conviction rate in cases filed with police.
He also directed the field-level police officers to ensure punishment of the perpetrators in sensitive cases.
The IGP came up with the remarks while addressing the first session of the last day of Police Week-2024 with senior police officers in Dhaka.
Expressing satisfaction over the punishment rate of the cases currently, he said due to the excellence of the overall efficiency and professionalism of the police, the conviction rate of cases across the country has increased from 17 percent in 2022 to 28 percent in December 2023.
Urging police personnel from all units to take strict action against extortion, the police head said, “The level of people's expectations from the police has increased as the police perform their duties with professionalism.”
He asked the police officers to perform their duties with sincerity and devotion to gain public confidence as per the expectations of the people.
The meeting discussed measures to prevent teen-crime, strengthening community policing activities, creative and innovative policing, etc.
Administrative and operational issues related to different wings of the Police Headquarters, CID, PBI and SB were presented in the meeting. The meeting reviewed the overall crime situation of last year.
Additional IGP (Administration) Md Kamrul Ahsan, Additional IGP (Crime and Operations) and Chairman of the sub-committee on the conference Md Atiqul Islam, Rapid Action Battalion Director General Md Khurshid Hossain, Additional IGP of Special Branch Md Monirul Islam and senior police officials were present on the occasion.
Madrasa principal jailed for providing written answer scripts to Dakhil examinees in Chandpur
A mobile court on Sunday sentenced a madrasa principal to two years in jail on charge of providing examinees with answer scripts of English-I paper test in the ongoing Dakhil examinations at an exam centre in Shahrasti upazila of Chandpur.
The mobile court led by Upazila Nirbahi Officer and Executive Magistrate Md Yeasir Arafat also fined the principal Tk 1, 000, in default of which he will have to suffer one more month’s jail.
The convict is Md Sayedul Islam, principal of RajapurA Al-Amin Fazil Madrasa under the upazila.
UNO Arafat said they inspected Chistia Islamia Alim Madrasa centre upon the allegations of providing the examinees with the answer scripts in the morning.
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Sensing the presence of the administration, the examinees threw the written answer scripts through the windows, he said.
During the interrogation, the on-duty invigilators informed that the principal printed 25 to 30 copies of the written answer script from the exam centre in the morning, the UNO said.
Though the accused primarily rejected the allegations, later links to the answer script and soft documents found on his mobile phone matched, he said.
BGB thwarts gold smuggling attempt, arrests woman with 11 bars in Chuadanga
At one stage of the interrogation, the teacher, a resident of Brahmanbaria’s Nabinagar upazila, admitted the matter, UNO Arafat added.
Dr Yunus, seven others granted bail upon surrender in graft case
A Dhaka court on Sunday granted bail to Nobel Laureate Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus and seven others in a case filed for allegedly misappropriating over Tk 25 crore from Workers-Employees Welfare Fund of Grameen Telecom.
Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge As-Shams Jaglul Hossain passed the order after hearing a petition submitted by the defendants upon surrender before the court, said Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Prosecutor Mir Ahmmad Ali Salam.
Though the prosecution opposed the bail order, the court finally granted it after hearing, said the defendants’ counsel Abdullah Al Mamun.
The court also set April 2 for accepting charges against the eight accused in their presence, said the ACC prosecutor.
The rest defendants were absent from the hearing in the court while it passed no order regarding them.
The accused included Grameen Telecom’s Managing Director Md. Nazmul Islam, Director & Former Managing Director Ashraful Hasan, Directors Parveen Mahmud, Naznin Sultana, Md. Shahjahan, Nurjahan Begum, SM Hujjatul Islam Latifi, lawyers Md. Yusuf Ali and Zafrul Hasan Sharif, President of Grameen Telecom Workers-Employees Union Md. Kamruzzaman, General Secretary Firoz Mahmud Hasan; Union Representative Mainul Islam and Office Secretary Kamrul Hasan.
On May 30 last year, ACC’s Dhaka district combined office-1 Deputy Director Gulshan Anowar Prodhan filed the case against 14 people bringing the allegation of siphoning off more than Tk 25.22 crore from the welfare fund.
Grameen Telecom owns a 34.2% share of telecom operator Grameenphone, Norway’s Telenor occupies 55.8% while the remaining 10% is publicly held.
As of December 2023, its subscribers span over 82.20 million.
Petition filed seeking closure of restaurants in residential buildings
A writ petition was filed with the High Court seeking its directives to close all restaurants in residential buildings in Dhaka including on Bailey Road.
Supreme Court lawyer Eunus Ali Akond filed the writ petition with the High Court bench concerned on Sunday (March 03, 2024).
Besides, the petition also sought directives to provide compensation to the family members of the deceased and injured in the Bailey Road fire and arrest of those responsible in the fire incident.
Read more: A city of fire traps: Decades of tragedies in Dhaka expose systemic failures
Meanwhile, a Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Israt Zahan Santona filed another writ petition with the High Court bench concerned seeking judicial investigation into the deadly fire at Green Cozy Cottage Building on Bailey Road that claimed the lives of 46 people.
The petitions will move to the HC bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Kazi Zinat Hoque.
Secretaries to the Public Works Ministry, Cabinet Division, Home Ministry, Inspector General of Police, Chairman of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), nayors of Dhaka North and South city corporations were made responsible in the writ petitions.
Read more: Why Fire Safety Audit is Essential for Commercial Buildings
On Thursday night, a massive fire broke out at a building on Dhaka's Bailey Road leaving at least 46 people dead and injuring dozens of people. Later, a case was filed with Ramna police station.