United News of Bangladesh

A 35-year-old man was killed in a lynch-mob attack over an allegation of theft at Panchbaria village in Pangsha upazila of Rajbari district early Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Joj Ali Biswas, son of Shukur Ali Biswas of Majhail village in the upazila. Police said local people caught Joj Ali while he was allegedly attempting to steal a motor from a mill owned by Karim Mondol in Panchbaria village around 5 am. They later beat him up mercilessly, leaving him critically injured. On information, police rushed to the spot and took Joj Ali to Pangsha Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared him dead, said Sheikh Moinul Islam, Officer-in-Charge of Pangsha Model Police Station. Police are investigating the incident and trying to identify those involved, the OC said. Additional police have been deployed in the area to prevent further trouble.          

A young girl and her grandmother were killed after being hit by a train while crossing a railway line near Shashongachha in Cumilla on Tuesday evening. The accident occurred around 7pm near Cumilla Railway Station, police said. The deceased were identified as Jotsna Begum, 60, wife of late Mizanur Rahman, and her granddaughter Chandni Akter, 14. They were residents of Uttarpara area of Muradnagar upazila. Mohammad Mamunur Rashid, assistant sub-inspector of Cumilla Railway Police Outpost, said the two were crossing the railway line near the entrance to Cumilla Railway Station when the Dhaka-bound Subarna Express hit them, killing both on the spot. Johora Akter, niece of Jotsna Begum, said Jotsna had brought Chandni to Cumilla for a medical consultation. After consulting the doctor, they were returning to the bus station when the accident occurred as they attempted to cross the railway line. Sohrab Hossain, in-charge of Cumilla Railway Police Outpost, said the bodies were recovered and legal proceedings were underway.

A young man was killed in a mob beating in Khulna on Tuesday evening after locals suspected him of attempting to abduct a child. The deceased was identified as Raju Sikder, a resident of the Baliadanga area in Phultala upazila of the district. The incident occurred in the city's Rayer Mahal area under Aranghata Police Station around 6:30pm, said Sub-Inspector Shyamol Kumar. According to police and locals, Raju was taking a child with him in the area when some locals suspected him of being a child abductor. They detained him and began questioning. At one stage, several people started beating Raju, leaving him seriously injured. On information, police went to the spot, rescued him and took him to Khulna Medical College Hospital, where the on-duty doctor declared him dead.

Two people, including a pickup van driver, were killed in a head-on collision between a truck and a pickup in the Patdhari Bazar area of Sirajganj’s Salanga early Tuesday. The deceased were identified as pickup driver Rezwan Hossain, 35, of Goalbatan village in Singra upazila of Natore, and Sazzad Hossain, 30, a milk trader from Helensa Para in Bogura Sadar. A Bogura-bound truck collided with the Nagarbari-bound pickup on the Bogura-Nagarbari highway in the early hours, said Ismail Hossain, officer-in-charge of Hatikumrul Highway Police Station. Sazzad, who was travelling in the pickup, died on the spot, while Rezwan sustained critical injuries. He was later declared dead at Sirajganj Medical College Hospital. Following the accident, angry locals blocked the highway by placing the bodies on the road, protesting what they described as a delay in police arrival at the scene. The blockade caused severe traffic congestion on the highway. After nearly three hours, the protesters withdrew the blockade following police intervention. Police recovered the bodies and sent those to hospital morgue for autopsy.

Police have detained eight Rohingyas and four suspected members of a human trafficking group while they were allegedly being taken to India through the Kanaighat border in Sylhet. They were detained around 3pm Monday with the help of local residents from Kuorer Mati area under Dighirpar union of Kanaighat upazila. The four suspected traffickers were identified as Asad Ahmed of Eraligul village and Saddam Hossain of Barakher village in Kanaighat, Rafiq Ahmed of Shantiganj upazila in Sunamganj, and Elach Uddin of Netrakona. The eight Rohingyas were identified as Enayet Hossain, Abdul Mubin, Zuber Ahmed, Ajida Begum, Jamila Begum, Fatema Bibi, Nur Fatema and Ajida. They are all residents of the Kutupalong Rohingya camp in Ukhiya upazila of Cox's Bazar. Police and local residents said the Rohingyas were brought from the Kadamtali area of Sylhet city to Kanaighat in two CNG-run auto-rickshaws. The group allegedly planned to take them to India through the Dona border. A boat had also been kept ready at the Kuorer Mati Batar Bazar area on the Surma River for the operation, according to the sources. Frequent phone calls between the suspected traffickers and the boatman raised suspicion among local residents as the group was delayed in reaching the area. Locals subsequently stopped the two auto-rickshaws in front of Kuorer Mati Madrasa and questioned the occupants, uncovering the alleged trafficking plan. They later informed police, who reached the spot and detained all 12 people. Kanaighat Police Station Officer-in-Charge Aminul Islam said the detained Rohingyas had allegedly left the Kutupalong camp and were attempting to cross the border. Legal proceedings against the detainees are underway, he said.

Police arrested a suspected shooter, identified as Alamin Howlader alias “Shooter Belu,” along with a locally made pipe gun and three rounds of shotgun ammunition in Khulna. Police arrested him during a raid on a house in the Mirzapur area around 2:30 am Tuesday. Belu, son of Akbar Howlader, is a resident of East Baniakhammar area in the city. Officer-in-Charge of Sadar Police Station Md Shafiqul Islam said police launched the raid after receiving information that Belu had been staying at Amena Manzil in the Boro Mirzapur area for the past three days. Police subsequently recovered a locally made pipe gun and three rounds of shotgun ammunition from his possession, he said. During preliminary interrogation, Belu reportedly told police that he carried out various criminal activities in exchange for money. Police said Belu is a member of the “B Company” of notorious Khulna criminal Grenade Babu. Police have found two cases against him with Khulna police stations and another case with Shahbagh Police Station in Dhaka. A case is being prepared against him over the recovery of the firearm and ammunition, the OC said.

Four young men were killed in two separate road accidents in Shibganj upazila of Chapainawabganj on Tuesday. The deceased were Habibur Rahman, 20, son of Sadiqul Islam, Abul Hayat, 35, son of Zamir Uddin, both from Baliadighi village; Asad, 19, son of Erfan Ali, and Jaber Ali, 19, son of Zafar Ali, from the Shekhtola area of the upazila. The accidents occurred on the Chapainawabganj-Sonamasjid highway in Muslimpur and Kansat areas in the early morning and afternoon. Asad and Jaber were killed when a truck crashed into their motorcycle in the Kansat area around 1:15pm, Inspector Anisur Rahman of Shibganj Police Station said. Asad died on the spot, while Jaber was critically injured and taken to Shibganj Upazila Health Complex by locals, where doctors declared him dead. Earlier, around 5:15am, Habibur and Abul Hayat were killed when their motorcycle lost control and fell beneath an under-construction culvert in the Muslimpur area. According to Sub-Inspector Khokon Chandra of Shibganj Police Station, the two men were returning to their home in Baliadighi from Kansat on the motorcycle when the accident occurred. Passersby and locals rescued them and took them to Shibganj Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared both dead.

A court in Chattogram on Monday sentenced three people to death for killing covered van driver Md Sajib, 27, and concealing his body in the city’s Pahartali area. The court also fined each of the convicts Tk 50,000. Judge Md Tajul Islam of the Fifth Additional Metropolitan Sessions Court of Chattogram pronounced the verdict around noon. The convicts are Md Nurul Amin of Baniachong in Habiganj, Md Shahjahan of Debidwar in Cumilla and Md Nurul Alam Tutul of Sadar upazila in Feni. Court Bench Assistant SM Kawsar Sagar confirmed the matter. Nurul Amin and Shahjahan are absconding, and the court issued arrest warrants against them. Tutul was sent to jail under a conviction warrant following the verdict. According to the case, police recovered the unidentified body of a man from an agricultural field of  Sekander on Oct 27, 2021. The field was located west of land acquired by the industrial police, beside the Toll Road in Pahartali. The body was later identified as Sajib, a resident of Chatkhil in Noakhali, through fingerprints and his national identity card. He went missing after leaving his home on Oct 17, 2021. When his body was recovered 10 days later, it bore injuries to the back of his head, chest and different parts of body. Police suspected that he had been beaten and stabbed. Police later arrested two of the accused, who reportedly confessed to killing Sajib in statements recorded under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The court pronounced the verdict after recording statements of 21 witnesses out of 36 listed in the case. Under the law, the convicts will have seven days to appeal the verdict before the High Court.

The City Detective Police on Monday arrested a suspect in connection with a shooting incident targeting journalists in the district. The arrestee was identified as Asaduzzaman Mithu, son of Sultan Mahmud and a resident of the Sonadanga Residential Area. Mithu was a newly expelled joint convener of the Khulna City branch of Jatiyatabadi Swecchasebak Dal. According to police sources, Mithu was apprehended from the Khalishpur Nutunrasta area on Monday afternoon while he was reportedly on his way to Benapole.

District Detective Branch (DB) police have seized around 300,000 yaba tablets from a luxury Prado vehicle in Cumilla and arrested two people in connection with the consignment. The seized yaba is estimated to be worth around Tk 15 crore, police said. The operation was conducted around noon on Monday in the Jagurjuli area of Sadar upazila on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway. The arrested men were identified as Faisal Hossain, 25, and Aman Ullah, 35, the driver of the Prado. Both are residents of Chakaria upazila in Cox’s Bazar.