United News of Bangladesh

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested Rashiduzzaman Morol, a former Member of Parliament for Khulna-6, who faces multiple charges related to violence and the use of explosives. Rashiduzzaman was arrested early Wednesday during a joint operation by RAB-6 and RAB-8 in the Mahipur area of Patuakhali district, according to a statement from ASP Imran Khan, spokesperson for the RAB headquarters media wing. AL leader arrested in city over murder during mass upsurge The former MP is currently implicated in three separate cases involving violent activities and explosives. 

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested three more members of new militant outfit Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya from the signboard area of ​​Narayanganj. The arrestees are Abdul Hadi Sumon, 40, son of Abdur Rakib of Sunamganj's Jagannathpur, Abu Sayed Sher Mohammad,32, son of Abdus Sattar of Bogura Sadar and Md Roni Mia,29, son of late Khorshed Mia of Narayanganj. Read more: 26 members of new militant group ‘Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya' held so far: Rab Commander Khandaker Al Moin, director of Rab’s legal and media wing, revealed the information while briefing the media on Wednesday in Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar. With these, 29 members of the new militant outfit have been arrested so far, said Rapid Action Battalion (Rab). Tipped off, they were arrested in a drive conducted by Rab-11 and Detective Branch in the area on Tuesday night. The elite force also seized some leaflets and books on radical views from the arrestees, Commander Moin said. Read more: Five suspected members of new militant outfit Jama'atul Ansar held In 2019, ‘Jamatul Ansar fil Hindal Sharqiya’ (Jamatul Ansar of Eastern Hind) was formed. Some leaders and activists of different levels of banned militant groups of Bangladesh including Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Ansar Al Islam and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B), joined together to start the activities of this radical militant group, said the Rab official.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday questioned the motive behind impositions of sanctions on Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) by the United States. “Who created Rab?” she asked, pointing out that the US trained Rab and provided everything to the anti-crime agency, which has been credited for its role in dealing with militancy and terrorism.  Read: Home Minister: Reforms can be initiated after reviewing US report on Rab She said that some people provide false and fabricated information about the human rights violation to the United States, and some of them are misguiding the US after committing crimes here and leaving the country. She appreciated Rab, saying that it has successfully tackled crimes and terrorism, but now criminals are being encouraged because of such sanctions on the agency.   Sheikh Hasina made the statement when she briefed journalists at her official residence Ganabhaban on her recent participation in the UN General Assembly. Read: “Extrajudicial killings down since US sanctions on RAB, a good sign” Earlier, this month US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas said that the number of extrajudicial killings has significantly gone down since the US sanctions imposed on Rab. He said he saw this “as a good sign”. In December, 2021, the United States imposed human rights related sanctions on Rab and seven former or current officials of the agency. 

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) has claimed to have detained a fugitive death row war crimes convict in Savar on the outskirts of the capital.  He was sentenced to death for committing crimes against humanity in Netrokona. The detainee has been identified as Khalilur Rahman, 68, son of Nobi Hossain of Durgapur in Netrakona district. Tipped off, a team of Rab-14 conducted a drive in Savar and detained Khalilur on Tuesday night, said ASP Imran Khan of legal and media wing of Rab headquarters at a press briefing held at Rab media center on Wednesday. Khalilur had been on the run since 2015 and he used to stay in different parts of the city, including Dakkhin Khan, Turag and Uttara, to avoid arrest, said ASP Imran. He also refrained from using a mobile phone to avoid his arrest but his family members often contacted him and supplied money and other things, he said. On January 30, 2017, the prosecution submitted chargesheet against five people of Netrakona, including Khalilur Rahman for their alleged involvement in crimes against humanity. On September 13, 2022, a tribunal sentenced the five accused to death for their crimes against humanity. Charges including killing of 22 people, rape, torture, abduction and arson attack were brought against them. Four other convicts died during the trial.

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) on Wednesday detained two more associates of Proshanto Kumar Halder, disgraced director of International Leasing and Finance Service Ltd (ILFSL), in a money laundering case. The detainees were Sharmin Ahmed, 42 and Tania Ahmed, 37—two daughters of People’s Leasing Company director Khabir Uddin, one of the main associates of Halder. Tipped off, the elite force detained them from Dhanmondi and Shyamoli area in the city, said Commander Khandaker Al Moin, director of the Legal and Media Wing of Rab. Read: Extradition of PK Halder has to go through legal process: Indian envoy Halder now in jail as Indian intelligence team arrested him.  Halder reportedly amassed Tk 3,600 crore and laundered the money abroad while performing his duties as director at ILFSL. Besides, on January 8, the Anti-Corruption Commission also lodged a complaint against Halder for acquiring wealth of around Tk 275 crore beyond any known income sources and money laundering.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) have detained three people from Sadar upazila of Cox’s Bazar in connection with the gang rape of a school teacher. The detainees were Bedar Mia, 28, Mostak Mia, 24, and Belal Uddin, 22, of the district. Read:Housewife gang raped in Thakurgaon: 3 held A team of Rab-15 detained the trio from an under-construction building in PM Khali area of the town Tuesday night following a complaint filed at Cox’s Bazar Sadar police station by the rape survivor, said Assistant Superintendent of Police Nityananda Das at a press briefing on Wednesday. On August 19,  prime accused Bedar Mia along with his three associates raped the school teacher at gun point  taking her to the under-construction building. The detainees confessed to their crime during primary questioning, said the officer. The detainees were handed over to Cox’s Bazar Sadar police station, he added.

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members have detained 37 members of a mugging gang from different areas in the capital. A team of Rab-3 detained the muggers after conducting simultaneous drives in Shahjahanpur, Motijheel, Mugda and Tejgaon areas on Saturday night, said Additional Superintendent of Police and staff officer (Media) Bashir Ahmed. Read: Muggers strike with sharp weapons, make off with Tk 5 lakhs from Rocket agent The elite force also seized sharp weapons and sedative sprays from their possession. During primary questioning, the alleged gang members said they used to mug passengers at bus stands and railway stations in the city spraying sedatives on their face and brandishing sharp weapons. Legal steps will be taken against the detainees, the officer added.

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) has arrested the truck driver who allegedly mowed down three members of a family on the busy Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, including a woman who gave birth to a baby girl moments before her death. The arrestee has been identified as Md Raju Ahmed Shipon, 42, son of Abdur Razak from Rajshahi, Commander Khandaker Al Moin, director, legal and media wing, at Rab HQ, told reporters on Tuesday. “He was arrested from the Savar area of Dhaka on Monday night while fleeing on a truck," said the Rab commander.  “During preliminary interrogation, the accused admitted to hitting the victims near Trishal bus stand in Mymensingh district while ferrying goods in his truck to Kishoreganj on Saturday noon,” he said.  Though locals had seized the truck, the accused managed to flee by getting on a Dhaka-bound bus. On Saturday, a baby girl was born during the road accident that left three of her family members, including her parents, dead on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway near the court building area in Trishal upazila. Read:Baby born on road after accident that kills parents, sister The deceased were identified as Jahangir Alam, 35, his wife Ratna Begum, 26, and their daughter Jannat Ara, 3, from Raymoni village in the upazila. Jahangir was crossing the highway with his eight-month pregnant wife and daughter for conducting a medical test of his spouse at the upazila health complex when they were mowed down by the truck. All the three died on the spot but miraculously the baby girl was born before her mother died on the road and taken to the upazila health complex by locals. She was later transferred to Mymensingh Labib Hospital due to a fractured left hand and collar bone. On July 17, a case was filed over the accident at Trishal police station following a complaint received from Jahangir’s father. Legal action will be taken against the arrestee, said Commander Khandaker.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) have detained a fugitive death row convict in a case filed over the attack on a train carrying the then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina in 1994. Zakaria Pintu, 50, of Ishwardi, was detained from Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar on Saturday night in a drive conducted by a team of Rab-2, said a press release from Rab Headquarter on Sunday. During primary interrogation, Pintu confessed that he was a fugitive accused of carrying out bomb attack on a train at Ishwardi railway station with the intention of killing the now Prime Minister. Pintu was convicted in two murder case in Ishwardi in 1994 and in 2009. He was later arrested along with arms by law enforcers in 2011 and sentenced to 17 years in jail in an arms case. Also read: Kotalipara plot: 14 sentenced to death Apart from the death sentence and imprisonment, there are six arrest warrants and 19 cases filed against him over various crimes, including terrorist activities, establishing dominance and extortion. In 2015, he also took part in a local election in Pabna's Ishwardi as an independent candidate and lost it. On September 23 in 1994, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was travelling to Syedpur from Khulna in a train and was attacked with bombs and gunshots at Ishwardi Railway station, as per the release. A case was filed under the Explosives Act and Special Powers Act at Ishwardi GRP Police Station in Pabna in this regard. Later, the investigating officer of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) submitted a chargesheet against a total of 52 people on April 3 in 1997, it added. After long proceedings, nine accused, including Pintu, were sentenced to death while 25 to life imprisonment and 13 others to 10 years in prison on July 3, 2019. He went into hiding soon after the sentence in the assassination attempt case was announced in 2019. He fled to India on the day following the judgment. After staying there for some days, he returned to the country and went into hiding in different parts of the country, including Dhaka, Rajshahi and Cox's Bazar. Also read: PM Hasina assassination attempt: Fugitive death row convict held in city He was last detained by RAB-2 while hiding at his friend's house in Teknaf of Cox's Bazar. “Legal steps are underway against the detainee,” said the release.

A fugitive death row convict, who was sentenced by the International Crimes Tribunal for committing crimes against humanity in 1971, was arrested from the city’s Mohammadpur area on Friday, said Rapid Action Battalion (Rab). The convict was identified as Md Nazrul Islam, 69, of Naogaon. Also read: Moulvibazar: Three to hang for war crimes ASP Imran Khan of Rab headquarters media wing said they nabbed Nazrul after a drive in the city’s Mohammadpur area around 12:30 pm. The International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Nazrul along with two others- Rezaul Karim and Shaheed Mandal- to death for their involvement in crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War. Also read:Dhaka urges London to repatriate convicted war criminals The three convicts were found guilty of murder, looting, arson, torture and kidnapping in 1971. Of them, Nazrul was tried in absentia, said the official.