Chattogram
Mitu murder case: Court bars 3 accused from leaving Bangladesh
A court in Chattogram has imposed a travel ban on three persons wanted in connection with the murder of former police superintendent Babul Akter's wife Mahmuda Khanam Mitu.
Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate Mehnaz Rahman gave the order on Monday in the wake of a plea by the investigating officer, inspector Santosh Kumar Chakma of the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI).
Read: Mitu murder case: No confessional statement from Babul after remand
The three absconding accused are Kamrul Islam Shikder alias Musa, Ehteshamul Haque Bhola and Khairul Islam alias Kalu.
Chittagong Metropolitan Police's assistant commissioner (prosecution) Kazi Shahabuddin Ahmed said the court's order will soon be sent to all ports across the country.
Inspector Santosh said that the petition was filed in the court to prevent the three fugitives from flying abroad amid the ongoing drive to arrest them for solving the murder case.
From the footage of CCTV cameras, investigators have already confirmed that Musa and Kalu were directly involved in the killing while Bhola had supplied the gun used in the crime.
Read:Mitu murder case: Another prime accused arrested in Chattogram
However, Panna Akter, wife of Musa, told a court that her husband was arrested by the police immediately after the murder.
Bhola, on the other hand, was earlier arrested by police, but has been absconding since his release on bail. Kalu has been on the run since the murder, said the PBI.
On June 5, 2016, unidentified assailants gunned down Babul's wife Mitu at the port city's GEC intersection while she was going to drop her son Mahir Akhter, 7, for a bus of Chittagong Cantonment Public School and College.
Soon after the crime, a murder case was filed at Panchlaish Police Station against three unidentified men, following a complaint by Babul.
Read:Mitu murder case: Former Chattogram SP Babul Akter detained
On May 12 this year, PBI submitted its final report in the case, prima facie holding Babul guilty of plotting the murder. Babul was held that day only, following a complaint by Mitu's father.
After being in police custody for five days, Babul was remanded in judicial custody by a court. He has been lodged in Feni district jail since May 17.
Chattogram hospital to admit only Covid patients
Amid an alarming surge in coronavirus cases in the district, authorities at Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) have decided to turn it into a "Covid facility".
In a notification on Monday, the authorities said that the hospital will not admit patients other than those infected with Covid. And all minor or routine operations will remain suspended at the district hospital for the time being.
Read:1.84 lakh doses of Moderna, Sinopharm vaccines reach Chattogram
Signed by CMCH Director Brigadier General SM Humayun Kabir, the notification said all operations other than that of emergency patients will remain suspended.
Only emergency patients would be admitted to the hospital. Also, patients undergoing treatment at the hospital for non-serious diseases will soon be discharged for home treatment, as per the notification.
Read:Covid-19: Chattogram logs 14 more deaths
The hospital has also made it mandatory for all doctors, nurses and other health workers to wear masks while on duty.
Director Humayun told the media that the decision was taken due to the sudden rise in the number of Covid-19 patients.
Read: 10 Covid deaths reported in Chattogram in a day
"The number of corona patients is increasing by the day. For the time being, it has been decided to admit only those who need emergency support or surgery. The other services will be restricted and the manpower of the hospital will be engaged in Covid-19 treatment," he said.
However, the authorities are letting patients in serious condition to stay on in the hospital. "They will also be discharged for home treatment as soon as their condition improves," Director Humayun said.
Woman stabbed dead in Chattogram
A female Kabiraj (herbal medicine practitioner) was stabbed to death and three other women were injured in an attack by a young man at Daspara in Banshkhali upazila of Chattogram district on Monday.
The deceased was identified as Fatema Begum, 46 of the upazila.
Read:6 of family hurt in Chattogram as cylinder leak causes fire
Police also arrested Ehsan, son of Mohammad Ibrahim alias Badar Amin of Maizpara in the upazila in this connection.
Quoting local people, Shafiqul Kabir, officer-in-charge of Banshkhali Police Station, said Fatema used to provide herbal medicines and taweez to local people on request.
Ehsan went to Fatema and sought some medicine so that he could influence the girl whom he loved.
Read: Out on joyride, woman raped by six on moving bus in Chattogram
Fatema gave him a taweez and some coconut water which did not work and Ehsan got sick after having the coconut water,said the OC.
Angered by the incident, Ehsan went to the house of Fatema again around 6:30 am and sought her explanation.
At one stage, Ehsan hit Fatema with a machete indiscriminately, leaving her seriously injured.
Read:Chattogram man stabbed to death by sister-in-law
Three others—Pakhi Akhter, 20, daughter of Fatema, Rabeya Begum, 25, a neighbour and Brishti, 10---were also injured while they tried to save Fatema.
Later, they were taken to a local hospital from where they were shifted to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital where doctors declared her dead.
Covid-19: Chattogram logs 14 more deaths
Local health authorities recorded 14 more Covid-related deaths in Chattogram district in 24 hours till Sunday morning.
During the period, 709 people tested positive for Covid-19 after the test of 2,082 samples in nine laboratories, said Chattogram Civil Surgeon Dr Sheikh Fazle Rabbi.
Read: 10 Covid deaths reported in Chattogram in a day
Seven of the deaths were reported from the city while the rest from different upazilas of the district.
So far, 65,008 people have been infected with the virus while 771 died in the district.
Read: 6 of family hurt in Chattogram as cylinder leak causes fire
Of the total infected people, 416 were from Chattogram city and the rest 293 from different upazilas of the district.
The infection rate is very high in Sitakunda upazila, said sources at the Civil Surgeon office.
Ctg Cylinder blast: One injured dies in Dhaka
One of the six victims who suffered serious burn injuries in a fire incident in Satkania upazila of Chattogram district died at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital on Sunday.
The deceased was identified as Mohammad Helal Uddin, 36, son of Abdus Shukur of Charpara in the upazila.
Read: Moghbazar blast: Death toll climbs to 12
Helal along with his five family members suffered burn injuries in the fire incident triggered by a cooking gas cylinder blast in their home in Satkania upazila on Thursday night.
The other victims were identified as Sayed Ahmed, 65, Shahnewaz, 40, Khaleda Begum, 45, Abdus Shukkur, 36, and Delwar Hossain, 50.
Read:2 killed in Chawkbazar transformer blast, 3 injured
The injured were taken to Satkania Upazila Health Complex. Of them, four have been shifted to the burn unit of Chattogram Medical College and Hospital after their conditions deteriorated.
On Friday, three of the victims were taken to the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where Helal succumbed to his injuries around 9:45 on Saturday, said Satkania municipal panel mayor Saiful Alam Sohel.
6 of family hurt in Chattogram as cylinder leak causes fire
Six members of a family sustained burn injuries in a fire triggered by a cooking gas cylinder blast in their house in Chattogram's Satkania upazila on Thursday night, police said.
The injured have been identified as Sayed Ahmed, 65, Shahnewaz, 40, Md Helal, 36, Khaleda Begum, 45, Abdus Shukkur, 36, and Delwar Hossain, 50. Four of the injured have been shifted to the burn unit of Chattogram Medical College and Hospital after their condition worsened.
The accident happened at Sayed's house behind Montana Club in ward number 6 of the municipal area of Satkania.
Also read: 5 of a family burnt in Chattogram gas cylinder blast
"A leakage from the family's newly purchased cooking gas cylinder was the reason behind the fire, in which the six got burnt," said municipal panel mayor Saiful Alam Sohel.
Two units of fire fighters were pressed into service and it took them over an hour to douse the flames. "The injured were ushed to a local hospital," said senior station officer of fire service, Humaun Khan.
Medical officer of Satkania Upazila Health Complex, Abdul Ahad Idris, said, that of the the injured, four with 80-90% burns were referred to CMCH.
Also read: Gas cylinder explosion: 3, including 2 children, killed in Moheshkhali
Assistant sub-inspector at CMCH police outpost, Shilbrata Barua, said, that around midnight on Thursday, the four injured were admitted to the hospital.
Record-high 713 single-day Covid cases reported in Ctg
Chattogram district reported a record-high cases of 713 and nine more deaths in 24 hours till Thursday morning.
The new cases were detected after testing 2,109 samples, according to a report provided by the district’s Civil Surgeon office in the morning.
Read:Record-high 662 single-day Covid cases reported in CTG district
With the new numbers, the district’s death toll reached 744 on Thursday, while the caseload climbed to 62,913.
Civil Surgeon Dr Sheikh Fazle Rabbi said, “This scenario indicates a worsening Covid-19 situation for Chattogram district if we don’t deem it as concerning now.”
Of the deceased, two were from the municipal area and seven from upazilas.
Among the fresh cases, 477 are from the municipal area and 236 from upazilas.
Read:10 Covid deaths reported in Chattogram in a day
According to the Civil Surgeon office, the samples were sent for testing on Wednesday to 11 labs in Chattogram and one to Cox’s Bazar Medical College and Hospital’s lab.
Of the new ases in upazilas, seven came from Lohagara, 12 from Satkaniya, five from Banshkhali, six from Anwara, 13 from Chandanaish, 14 from Boalkhali, nine from Rangunia, 27 from Rauzan, 20 from Fatikchari, 58 from Hathazari, 33 from Sitakundu, 17 from Mirsarai and 15 from Sandwip.
Missing Chattogram expat found dead after 3 days
The body of a 50-year-old expat, who went missing three days ago in Chattogram's Fatikchhari, was found Saturday, police said.
Abdus Salam returned home from Oman two months ago. As the expat could not go back to the Gulf country due to the pandemic, he got into a lot of debt while trying to meet his household expenditure, the locals said.
Also read: Missing expatriate found dead in Chandpur corn field
The debt burden took a toll on Salam's mental health and he had been ill for the last several days.
Datmara union parisahd member Abdul Hakim said, "Salam had left his house in the night three days ago. The expat's family could not find any trace of him after that. However, they did not file any general diary (GD) with police in connection with the incident."
Also read: Saudi man sentenced to death for killing Bangladeshi expat
Bhujpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge said, "The badly decomposed body of the expat was found today in the morning near his house. We recovered the body after being informed. Salam has been missing for the last three days. However, the cause of his death could not be confirmed immediately."
Out on joyride, woman raped by six on moving bus in Chattogram
Out on a joyride with a male acquaintance, a 21-year-old woman was allegedly held hostage and raped by six men on a moving bus in Mirsarai upazila of Chattogram.
All the six men, including the bus driver and helper, have been arrested from different parts of the district, police said on Saturday.
The crime occurred in the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday morning, said officer-in-charge of Mirsarai Police Station, Mujibul Rahman.
READ: Rajshahi child rape & murder case accused shot dead
In her complaint to the police, the woman claimed that her male acquaintance took her out on Wednesday evening. The duo had boarded the bus from their native Sitakunda upazila.
However, when the bus reached the Hafiz Jute Mill area, the driver and the helper forced all passengers to get down. But they didn't let the woman and her acquaintance to get off. Subsequently, the duo, along with the four others, took turns to rape her.
The woman's ordeal didn't end there. She was forcibly taken to a house in the upazila and raped over the next 24 hours, according to the complaint.
On her complaint, police lodged a case and arrested the six men from different parts of Sitakunda and Mirsarai upazilas, and Chattogram city on Friday night.
The arrestees have been identified as Ashraful Islam, 23, Shahadat Hossain, 19, Nizamuddin Rana, 20, Belal Hossain, 23, Mohammad Ismail, 31, of Sitakunda upazila and Mohammad Sagar Hossain, 22, of Mirsarai upazila.
The woman, a garment factory worker, was sent to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital for a medical examination.
SM Rashidul Haque, superintendent of District Police, said, “We have taken the case seriously and six people were arrested in this connection."
Bangladesh's rape epidemic
Sexual assaults on women continue unabated in Bangladesh, despite the government introducing death penalty for rapes last year.
A police headquarters report, released recently, said that 26,695 rape cases were filed across the country in the past five years.
Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) data shows that 1,018 children were raped last year alone, but only 683 police cases had been filed. Also, 116 survivors were six years old or below.
Overall, 1,627 rape cases were reported last year and 53 of the women were killed by the perpetrators while 14 took their own lives, as per the data.
However, ASK's data is just the tip of the iceberg, according to aid agencies, who report that most women are too afraid to report rape.
READ: Nasir, Omi put on 5-day remand over ‘rape attempt’ on Pori Moni
In October 2020, the country was rocked by protests after a woman was allegedly attacked and raped in Noakhali.
In November last year, Bangladesh introduced capital punishment for rape, following days of protests against sexual violence against women in several cities across the country.
But human rights organisations say the move will not solve the country's rape crisis, as the survivors of the heinous crime are often stigmatised in the society.
Hefazat violence in Brahmanbaria: DSA Case filed
RAM Ubaidul Moktadir, MP of Brahmanbaria-3 constituency, has filed a case against 19 named accused including Hefazat-e-Islam’s dissolved central committee joint secretary general Sajedur Rahman for allegedly tarnishing his personal image by holding a press conference after the violence in Brahmanbaria.
The case was filed Tuesday, under the Digital Security Act (DSA) with the court of Chattogram Cyber Tribunal Judge SKM Tofail Hasan.
Besides 19 named accused, hundred more unidentified persons were accused in this case.
Also read: People involved with Hefazat violence to be punished: Home Minister
MP Ubaidul said, "Leaders and activists of Hefazat-e-Islam carried out massive violence in Brahmanbaria for three days from March 26 to 28. On March 31, they held a press briefing putting all the blame on me to save themselves.”
Since journalists were not present at the press briefing they promoted the briefing videos over Facebook-YouTube.
Also read: Hefazat violence in Brahmanbaria: 60 held, two more cases filed
At this, his image was tarnished through the propaganda so MP Ubaidul appeared in person to file the case at Chattogram Cyber Tribunal, he said
The court has been requested to direct PBI to investigate the case, plaintiff's lawyer HM Ziauddin said.