Faridpur
Tk 13 lakh stolen cash recovered, 2 held in Faridpur
Police have arrested two people for allegedly stealing Tk 20 lakh from Sonali Bank in Faridpur.
During the arrest drive police recovered Tk 13 lakh from them.
The arrestees are Md. Faruk Sheikh, 60, of Khulna and Mohammad Ali, 45 of Munshiganj.
On Tuesday, at around 5 am, Faruk was arrested from his house in Hogladanga village of Khulna and Tk 3 lakh was recovered from his house. On his information, police same day arrested Mohammad Ali and recovered Tk 5 lakh from his father-in-law's house in Munshiganj area around 11 pm.
However, police couldn’t arrest the third accused recovered Tk 5 lakh from his house in Barishal, said Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration and Finance) Jamal Pasha in a press conference on Wednesday
The incident occurred on February 6, as Tk 20 lakh cash was stolen from the manager’s room of Faridpur Sonali Bank.
READ: 2 fake DGFI men held in Faridpur
Next day, Mohammad Nazrul Islam whose father’s money it was, filed a case at Kotwali Police Station.
Faridpur’s Kotwali police sub-inspector (SI) Shamim Hasan reviewed the video footage of the area during the investigation and identified the three accused. Of them two have been arrested 37 days after the incident.
During interrogation the arrestees said that they have been doing this for over 17 years in different districts including Dhaka, Gazipur, Narsingdi, Narayanganj. They mainly target elderly people at government post offices and banks.
Police sources said, four people involved with the innocent have been identified. There are several cases against the accused in different police stations. The other two accused would be arrested soon, they said.
Meanwhile, investigation officer of the case SI Shamim said, after the arrestees
gave a confessional statement on Wednesday afternoon, they were sent to the jail as per order of the court.
2 fake DGFI men held in Faridpur
Detective Branch (DB) of Faridpur district police arrested two fake Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) members from the housing estate area in Faridpur town on Tuesday.
The arrestees are Md. Anwar Hossain Babu,54, a former army member and his son Limon Babu, 24, residents of Haldibari village in Kaunia upazila of Rangpur district.
Also read: Fake magistrate held in Jashore
Tipped-off, a team of DB police conducted a drive in the area and arrested them, said Rakikul Islam, officer-in-charge of Faridpur DB Police.
During the drive, the DB men also seized 8 unlicensed walkie-talkies, blank stamps with signature, SIM cards and a private car from their possession.
Legal action will be taken against them, he added.
Also read: Fake Covid test certificates: 14 fraud gang members held
Probe committee formed over torching 12 buses in Faridpur
A three-member committee has been formed to probe into the incident of setting 12 buses on fire in Goalchamte of Faridpur.
The committee has been asked to submit the report within five working days, said Faridpur Deputy Commissioner Atul Sarkar on Sunday.
Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime and Investigation) Md Imdad Hossain has been made the head of the committee. The other two members of the committee are Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle) Sumon Ranjan Sarkar and Additional Superintendent of Police (DSB) Helaluddin.
A case was also filed in this regard.
Read: 12 buses set on fire in Faridpur
ASP Sumon Ranjan Sarkar said a security guard looking after of the seized buses, was being questioned.
Steps are on to arrest the culprits after identifying them, he added.
Earlier on Saturday, at least 12 buses of ‘South Line’ Paribahan were set on fire by unidentified miscreants at the terminal in Goalchamte of Faridpur district town around 1.30am.
Some 22 buses were parked at the terminal.
All the buses -- owned by former Awami League leader Sajjad Hossain Barkat and his brother Imtiaz Hossain Rubel, had been kept at the terminal since their seizure by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in June 2020.
On information, fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the blaze was eventually extinguished.
Suraiya Parveen, wife of Barkat, said that a local court on February 25, 2020, ordered the seizure of 55 vehicles, owned by Barkat-Rubel.
Read: 5 alleged passport brokers arrested in Faridpur
On March 3 last year, the CID filed a charge sheet against 10 people, including Barkat and Rubel, in a Tk 2,000-crore money laundering case.
CID's assistant superintendent Uttam Kumar Biswas submitted the charge sheet in the Dhaka metropolitan magistrate's court.
12 buses set on fire in Faridpur
At least 12 buses were set on fire by unidentified miscreants at a terminal in Faridpur district town in the early hours of Saturday, prompting the police to initiate a criminal probe.
All the buses -- owned by former Awami League leader Sajjad Hossain Barkat and his brother Imtiaz Hossain Rubel, both facing money laundering charges -- had been kept at the terminal since their seizure by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in June 2020.
READ: Locals set fire to truck that killed 2 youths on motorcycle in Kushtia
Md Alimuzzaman, superintendent of Faridpur Police, said that some assailants set the 12 buses of ‘South Line’ Paribahan on fire around 1.30am at the terminal in Goalchamte. "Some 22 buses were parked at the terminal," he said.
On information, fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the blaze was eventually estinguished.
Suraiya Parveen, wife of Barkat, said that a local court on February 25, 2020, ordered the seizure of 55 vehicles, owned by Barkat-Rubel.
Shipul Ahmed, assistant director of Faridpur Fire Service and Civil Defense, said, “A probe is on to unearth the origin of the fire.”
“The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) will look into the case,” said inspector Nasir Hossain.
On March 3 last year, the CID filed a chargesheet against 10 people, including Barkat and Rubel, in a Tk 2,000-crore money laundering case.
READ: RU student killed in road crash: students vandalise and set fire on vehicles
CID's assistant superintendent Uttam Kumar Biswas submitted the chargesheet in the Dhaka metropolitan magistrate's court.
Health official killed in Faridpur road crash
A health official was killed in a road accident in Manikdah area on Pukhuria-Atarshi road in Bhanga upazila of Faridpur district on Sunday evening.
The deceased was identified as Md Sharif Zakir, 50, health inspector of Bhanga Upazila Health and Family Planning Office.
Read: Van driver killed in city road crash
Locals said when Zakir Hossain was walking on the road an unidentified vehicle hit him, leaving him dead on the spot and fled.
Later, locals recovered the body from the spot.
Police are working to identify the killer vechile, said Jahangir Arif, officer-in-charge of Bhanga highway police.
Villagers suffer from waterlogging on the outskirts of Faridpur town
For over four years about 300 families have remained waterlogged in their own village due to dumping of sand extracted from Padma River.
The affected people at Aijuddin Matabbar Dagi village in Dicrirchar union on the outskirts of Faridpur town blame their miseries on some sand traders who dump their extracted sand blocking trapping rain and river water in their croplands.
On a recent visit to the area the UNB correspondent found that the problem was caused first by the water that comes along with the newly-mined sand. Over the years it got worse because of rain and flood waters, according to villagers.
READ: Chronic waterlogging adds to Bhabdaha's pain in winter
Many have erected small bamboo bridges to come out from their homes due to the stagnant water.
Local people alleged that there is no drainage system here as lands were occupied by the influential people and the local administration did not take any steps despite repeated complaints made to the local UP member and chairman.
5 alleged passport brokers arrested in Faridpur
Detective police have arrested five brokers of the passport office in Faridpur for their alleged illegal activity.
The arrestees were identified as Nadim Hasan, Tarikur Rahman, Rabib Molla, Al Amin Sheikh and Mojammel Hossain Shimul.
Read: Visa Free Country List for Bangladeshi Passport Holders in 2021
Faridpur additional superintendent of police (ASP) Jamal Pasha confirmed the matter in a press briefing on Friday.
Based on a complaint by a victim, police made the arrests by conducting a drive at places near Faridpur passport office on Thursday night, said the official.
ASP Jamal said that the arrestees had been involved in the illegal activity for a long time taking extra money from passport seekers. If a person could not pay according to their needs, they used to torture the victims after detaining them.
During the drive, police seized five registrar books for illegal trading of passports, receipts of depositing money of passport, two computers and cash Tk 2.50 lakh from their possession.
Read:Rajbari Regional Passport Office under ACC scanner
Earlier, a case was filed at Kotwali Police Station in this regard, said the ASP.
The arrestees will be sent to jail through court on Friday, the ASP added.
What is life really like when five of a family are physically challenged?
Life with physical disabilities is tough for anyone and the struggle turns crueler when the whole family suffers from it. You will hardly find anyone to understand what the Zia Sheikh family in Faridpur is going through.
Zia Sheikh, in his early 40s, is a hearing-impaired man lives with his seven-member family at Megmachi village in the district’s Madhupur upazila. Ironically, five of the family members, including Zia himself, his mother Rina khan, 60, his wife Arjina Begum, 37, and two of their children have physical disabilities.
Read:Light in the abyss: Local engineers turn on GK Project's third main pump
Rina Khan, Arjina Begum and their 6-year-old girl Yasmin suffer with hearing disability like Zia while their elder son Akash, 15, has mental and physical disability by birth. Zia’s other daughter, Helena, 14, and son Tamim, 8, are the only members in the family who are not suffering from any disability.
Zia said his miseries started right after his birth as he was the youngest son of Karim Sheikh, a landless man in the village who had earned livelihood by begging.
After his father’s death, Zia looked after his mother. One day he got married and started his own family but they have to live in a tin-roofed and clay-made room. Zia somehow supported the family working as a day-labourer and tending palm and coconut trees of their in his village and adjacent areas. Arjina also tried to help him working in a factory but she could not continue because of her illness.
More sufferings hit the ill-fated family when Zia, the only breadwinner, got his spine broken as he fell from a palm tree. After taking a long treatment at Faridpur Bangabandhu Sheikh Medical College and Hospital, doctors said he needs a surgery to walk like before but Zia failed to manage the money for it.
Zia now can walk only with the help of a stick. “Our only recourse is a 1300-sqf land we bought by selling a cow we had. And we had bought it with money provided by an NGO.”
2 motorcyclists killed in Faridpur road crash
Two motorcyclists were killed in Faridpur’s Gajaria area of Nagarkanda on Dhaka-Khulna highway as their motorcycle was hit by a bus on Friday night.
Sabit Hossain, 17, of Satkhira’s Shamnagar and Sourav Hossain, 16, of Norail’s Lohagora died in the bike crash occurred around 8 pm, said Bhanga Highway Police officer-in-charge (OC) Jahangir Arif.
READ: School teacher killed in Cox’s Bazar road crash
He said the accident occurred when the Dhaka-bound bus of Hamim Poribanhan from Khulna hit the Satkhira-bound motorcycle.
One of the motorcyclists, Sabit, died on the spot. Sourav was taken to Gopalganj's Muksudpur Upazila Health Complex in a critical condition where doctors declared him dead, the OC said.
READ: 2 killed in Chattogram road crash
Health secretary visits Faridpur General Hospital
Health Secretary Md Lokman Hossain Miah on Friday visited Faridpur General Hospital to see the services provided to the patients.
During the visit he told doctors, nurses and other staff to deliver their services effectively so no patient goes without treatment.
Patients should not suffer due to damaged equipment and lack of supplies, he said.
Read: Current booster effective against Omicron: Health Minister
Regarding the Covid vaccine, he said there is no shortage of vaccines. “But we are concerned that many people have not been vaccinated yet.”
Deputy Commissioner of Faridpur Atul Sarkar, Civil Surgeon Dr Siddiqur Rahman, Director of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical College and Hospital Dr Saifur Rahman and Additional Deputy Commissioner Deepak Roy were present among others.