Rapid Action Battalion
US itself is an extreme violator of human rights, says Hasan Mahmud
Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud on Saturday stated the sanctions of the US on Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) are one-sided and invalid, saying, “Human rights is extremely violated in the US.”
The minister made the remark while replying to journalists at a program of the University of Information Technology and Sciences (UITS) in the city’s Baridhara.
The United States on Friday imposed human rights-related sanctions on 15 individuals and 10 organizations on the occasion of International Human Rights Day.
Benzir Ahmed, current Inspector General of the Bangladesh Police and former Director-General of Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and six other individuals were among them, besides RAB as an organization.
Read: Sanctions on RAB: FM says impact on relations depends on US
The minister said the US also imposed sanctions on Narendra Modi but later he was given a red-carpet reception, which proves that such sanctions are in fact ineffective.
The minister also said that UN human rights experts urged the US government to end police torture and racial discrimination this year. The Guardian stated in an article that 55% of all deaths in police custody in the United States between 1980 and 2018 were "unreported" or "mislabeled," which means the exact cause of death was not disclosed.
Not only that, the world did not forget the tragic scene of a black man’s death at the hands of police on the streets of the United States last year, the information minister said.
“When Palestinian children hurled stones at Israelis, they fired at them. Above situation, the US has not imposed sanctions on the Israelis. On the contrary, if any country proposes condemnation of these human rights violations at the United Nations, the United States vetoes it."
So, it’s very clear that their ban is motivated, one-sided and ineffective, the minister stated.
Read: Dhaka trashes HR violation allegations against IGP, 6 others
However, Hassan Mahmoud said the United States is our development partner and our law enforcement and security forces have been working together to curb militancy and terrorism.
Vice-Chancellor of UITS Prof. Mohammad Solaiman, UITS Chairman and Founder of PHP Family Sufi Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, Turkish Ambassador to Bangladesh Mustafa Osman Turan, deputy Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University Dr ASM Maksud Kamal were present on the occasion.
‘Working to protect human rights, not to violate’: RAB commander about US sanctions
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), as an entity, has been working to protect human rights since its formation and not to violate those, said Commander Al Moin, director of RAB legal and media wing, on Saturday.
He said this at a press briefing while replying to questions from journalists on the sanctions imposed by the United States on RAB and its seven current and former officials over the allegation of violating human rights. The briefing was held at RAB’s Karwan Bazar media centre.
Commander Moin said RAB has so far lost 28 of its 9,000 members in different operations and got 2,000 injured and 1,000 maimed.
Also read: US imposes sanctions on RAB, 7 individuals
He said Bangladesh has been able to tackle militancy and free the Sundarbans from robbers due to RAB’s constant efforts.
RAB has been working to bring back the militants and forest robbers to normal life through rehabilitating them alongside working to protect the human rights, the RAB commander insisted.
“We’ve not received any official letter regarding the sanctions yet. We’ll take steps upon receiving the official letter,” said Moin.
He said there is no scope to break laws as a RAB official as this elite force is much stricter than any other forces when it comes to punishing its members for defying laws.
The United States on Friday imposed human rights-related sanctions on Benzir Ahmed, current Inspector General of the Bangladesh Police and former Director General of RAB, and six other individuals on the occasion of International Human Rights Day.
Also read: Sanctions on RAB: FM says impact on relations depends on US
The US Department of State announced visa restrictions on Benazir Ahmed, which it says, due to his “involvement in gross violations of human rights” making him ineligible for entry into the United States.
RAB as an entity, Benzir Ahmed, and six other officials were designated by the Department of the Treasury under the Global Magnitsky sanctions programme in connection with serious human rights abuse, said the US Department of State.
RAB apprehends trio with over 65,000 Yaba pills
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested three alleged drug dealers along with 65,105 yaba pills hidden inside Betel leaf (paan) from Shyampur area of the capital on early Sunday.
The arrestees were identified as Mohammad Ayub, 35, Abdus Shukkur, 54, and Md Amir Hossain, 65.
The elite force had secret information that a group of organized drug dealers were stationed in the area adjacent to Postagola Fire Service under Shyampur Police Station with a huge consignment of contraband Yaba pills brought from the border districts hidden inside betel leaves.
Read: 3 drug peddlers held with 50,000 yaba pills
Another youth arrested in Cumilla over Puja incident
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested one person on Thursday evening from Cumilla city on charges of destroying communal harmony by hurting religious sentiments by spreading propaganda on social media about the Puja Mandap incident in Cumilla.
The arrestee was identified as Golam Mawla.
Read: Hasina calls for hunting down culprits of Cumilla incident
Based on secret information, a special team of Rab-11 battalion conducted a drive at Newmarket area of Cumilla town in the evening and arrested Gulam Mawla, said ASP (Media) of Rab headquarters Imran Khan.
No more details were available immediately, but clearly the elite crime-fighting force had some specific leads that it regarded as credible to complete Mowla's arrest through the drive by its special team.
Also read: Cumilla incident: DIG says offenders to be hunted down
He thus became the 42nd person arrested since yesterday by law-enforcers in Cumilla under four different cases filed with the Kotwali police station.
Youth arrested over university student murder in Dhaka
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members arrested a youth on Thursday for his suspected involvement in the killing of a private university student in the city’s Karwanbazar area on Tuesday.
Tipped off, a team of Rab-2 conducted a drive and arrested Md Tuhin, 20 from Munnunagar area in Gazipur, said a press release of Rab-2.
According to Rab, during interrogation, Tuhin confessed to killing Keshob Roy Papon,24, a student of Computer Science department of Sonargaon University, during snatching his valuables.
Also read: Police arrest AB Bank DMD in fraud case
Further drive to arrest other criminals involved in the murder will be conducted following information gleaned from Tuhin, they said.
On October, 5, Keshob Roy was hacked by some miscreants in front of Hotel Marine at Tejturi Bazar in the city.
Also read: Dhamaka COO arrested for 'fraud'
The miscreants fled the scene leaving Papon injured. Doctors announced him dead after locals rushed him to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.
On October 6, Papon’s uncle filed a murder case at Tejgaon police station.
Evaly CEO, chairman arrested from Mohammadpur residence
Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested Evaly CEO Mohammad Rassel and his wife Shamima Nasrin, the chairman of the company, conducting a raid on their house at Mohammadpur in the city.
Sources at the Rab headquarters said the elite force members cordoned off the multi-storey building at Sir Sayed Road, Mohammadpur around 3:30 pm and arrested them around 5 pm.
The owners of Evaly, an e-commerce firm, were allegedly involved in embezzlement of several hundred crores of taka. They were arrested after a victim filed a case against them.
Read: Evaly is under ACC probe for alleged misappropriation
Earlier, on Wednesday night, a victim, Arif Baker, lodged a case with Gulshan police station accusing the couple.
Sub-inspector Ahidul Islam, the investigating officer of the case, said the case was registered over the allegation of embezzlement of money and fraudulence.
Suspected JMB militant held in capital
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Thursday claimed to have arrested a suspected leader of banned militant outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from a house in the Bosila area of the city.
The arrestee has been identified as Emdadul Haque Master.
Acting on a tip-off, a team of RAB cordoned off a building near Mohammadpur Bosila Bridge in the early hours of Thursday, said ASP (media) at RAB Headquarters Imran Khan.
Read: 4 suspected JMB militants held in Mymensingh
5 members of car theft gang held in Narayanganj
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members have arrested five members of a car theft gang from Fatullah in Narayanganj district.
After gleaning information from some previously arrested members of the gang, a Rab team managed to arrest its other members during an operation on Friday.
The arrestees are coordinator of the gang Md. Azim Uddin, Md. Rofiq Ullah, Md. Selim, Md. Kamrul Hosaain and Omar Faruk.
READ: Woman gang-raped after abduction from rail station in Ullapara
During the operation, the Rab team seized three pick-up vans, one CNG-autotrickshaw, a gun, one round of bullet, three knives, a Chinese axe, six mobile phone sets and Tk 12,000 in cash from the gang members.
READ: 4 members of teen gang ‘Gazi group’ held in Dhaka
Rab media wing ASP Imran Khan said during interrogation it was known that the car theft gang consists of 15-20 members who are active on Dhaka-Chattogram highway, Narayanganj, Savar and Gazipur.
‘Rohingya robber’ killed in ‘gunfight’ with Rab in Cox's Bazar
A suspected Rohingya robber was killed in a ‘gunfight’ with Rapid Action Battalion members in Damdamia area of Hnila Union in Teknaf Upazila early Thursday.
The deceased was identified as Nuru, leader of a Rohingya robber gang called 'Nuru Bahini'.
Read: ‘Robber’ killed in ‘gunfight’ with Rab in Gazipur
Cox's Bazar Rab-15 Teknaf CPC-1 camp in-charge Lt. Commander Mahbub said that tipped off, a team of the elite force conducted a drive in Damdamia area of Teknaf. Sensing presence of the law enforcers the robbers opened fire on them, forcing them to fire back that triggered the gunfight.
The Rab men recovered the body of Nuru from the spot when the gunfight was over. The body was sent to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital morgue for an autopsy.
Read: Rohingya gang leader killed in Ukhiya gunfight
They also recovered three guns, one pistol and some bullets from the spot, said the officer.
A case was filed with Teknaf Police Station.
Dhallywood actress Pori Moni detained from Banani residence
In the latest development of celebrity saga, film actress Pori Moni, whose allegation of rape attempt on her by businessman Nasir U Mahmud and others prompted firestorm in the social media barely two months back, has now been detained from her home.
Members of Rab (Rapid Action Battalion) detained Pori Moni from her Banani residence on Wednesday evening.
The intelligence unit of Rab, led by Lt Col Khairul Islam, started a drive at her residence around 4 pm and detained her after three hours of search, RAB officials told UNB.
Pori Moni has been detained and taken to the Rab headquarters, assistant director of Rab (media wing) Imran Khan told UNB.
A huge quantity of liquor was seized from her house, Rab sources said.
When the Rab team was trying to enter her flat, Moni went live on Facebook seeking help from the local administration and Banani police station after Rab men in plainclothes reached her home.
The actress alleged that an unidentified group of people entered her building and were knocking on the door of her flat.
Her FB live continued for half an hour till the Rab personnel entered her home and requested the actress to go offline.