United News of Bangladesh

Eight platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have been deployed to maintain law and order for the Bogura-6 (Sadar) by-election scheduled to be held on April 9. According to a BGB handout issued on Saturday, the deployment aims to ensure that the by-election is held in a free, fair, impartial and peaceful manner. As per the instructions of the Election Commission, BGB personnel will remain on duty in the constituency until April 11. The eight platoons, drawn from BGB’s Naogaon Battalion (16 BGB) and Patnitala Battalion (14 BGB), have already begun their duties by setting up three base camps in Bogura Sadar upazila. BGB members will be deployed as both mobile and static forces to maintain overall law and order, including conducting patrols before, during and after the election. BGB said it regularly assists the civil administration in maintaining internal law and order across the country. As part of this role, its members will work in coordination with other law enforcement agencies during the by-election. The force expressed hope that voters will be able to cast their votes without hindrance and that the election will be conducted in a peaceful and orderly manner. The by-election was necessitated after the Bogura-6 seat fell vacant as Prime Minister Tarique Rahman relinquished the seat while retaining the Dhaka-17 constituency.

A five-member committee has been formed to investigate the fire at a tin-shed gas lighter factory in Kadamtali of Keraniganj that left at least five people dead. The committee is headed by the Director (Operations and Maintenance) of the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD), said Shahjahan Sikder, Deputy Assistant Director of the FSCD headquarters media cell. The committee has been asked to submit its report within seven working days. The fire broke out around 1pm at the factory, which manufactured gas lighters. Seven firefighting units rushed to the scene around 1:16pm after receiving the information and brought the blaze under control around 2:30pm, he added. The fire was completely extinguished at 4:44pm.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has seized smuggled Indian goods worth nearly Tk 2 crore in separate drives conducted along the Brahmanbaria and Cumilla border areas. According to BGB’s Sultanpur Battalion (60 BGB), the drives were carried out on Saturday based on specific intelligence in border areas of Kasba upazila in Brahmanbaria and Brahmanpara and Adarsha Sadar upazilas in Cumilla. Patrol teams from Khadla BOP in Kasba, Shashidal BOP in Brahmanpara, and Barojwala BOP in Adarsha Sadar conducted the drives separately under the leadership of Battalion Commander Lt Col SM Shariful Islam. During the drives, a pickup vehicle along with a large quantity of smuggled Indian goods was seized. The recovered items include cumin, henna, various cosmetics, sarees, basmati rice, soap, fuchka, fireworks, and different types of medicines. The estimated value of the seized goods is Tk 1,90,66,070. The seized items will be handed over to the concerned customs office following due legal procedures. Lt Col Shariful Islam said BGB remains vigilant in preventing smuggling while ensuring border security, in line with the directives of the BGB Director General. He added that intelligence surveillance and operational activities along the border have been strengthened and such drives will continue.

The Special Metropolitan Magistrate of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) handled a total of 3,778 criminal and 1,742 traffic cases in March 2026 through summary courts. Of 6,863 arrested individuals, 3,701 were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment. According to law officer (District and Sessions Judge) Mohammad Ataul Haque, DMP’s Motijheel division arrested 920 people and filed 552 cases in the summary court, imposing fines of Tk 171,000 and sentencing 633 individuals. Tejgaon division arrested 1,035 people, filed 550 cases, fined Tk 161,900, and sentenced 389 individuals. Wari division arrested 662 people, filed 361 cases, imposed fines of Tk 387,200, and sentenced 251 people. Similarly, Gulshan division handled 468 arrests and 321 cases, imposing fines of Tk 88,800 and sentencing 120; Mirpur division arrested 2,025, filed 1,017 cases, fined Tk 459,900, and sentenced 921. Ramna division recorded 690 arrests, 297 cases, fines of Tk 17,000, and 583 sentences; Lalbagh division had 485 arrests, 323 cases, fines of Tk 14,700, and 437 sentences; and Uttara division handled 578 arrests, 357 cases, fines of Tk 253,100, and 367 sentences. In traffic-related cases, DMP’s eight divisions filed 914 cases in March, of which 1,742 were resolved by the Special Metropolitan Magistrate with a total fine of Tk 318,700. Notably, Motijheel imposed fines of Tk 35,500 on 130 individuals, Tejgaon Tk 29,000 on 73, Wari Tk 41,500 on 172, Gulshan Tk 23,500 on 94, Mirpur Tk 38,500 on 121, Ramna Tk 61,000 on 106, Lalbagh Tk 28,700 on 78, and Uttara Tk 61,000 on 140 individuals. Summary courts under the Special Metropolitan Magistrate handle minor criminal offenses and cases punishable with light sentences, as allowed under the code of criminal procedure.

Two individuals have been fined Tk 70,000 after the Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) detained them while transporting about 2,000 litres of fuel oil illegally in Bhola. Following a tip-off, a team of BCG Bhola Base conducted a special drive near the Bheduria ferry ghat in Sadar upazila around 5pm on Thursday, BCG media officer Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujan said. During the operation, the two individuals were found transporting 2,000 litres of fuel oil illegally in a steel-bodied boat. The seized fuel was later sold at market price at A Rahman & Sons Filling Station under the supervision of the executive magistrate of Sadar upazila. The offenders were fined Tk 70,000 and then released. The proceeds from the sale and fine have been deposited into the state treasury. The BCG said such operations will continue to maintain stability in the country’s energy market.  

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has arrested an Indian national carrying diamonds worth over Tk 6.62 crore along with various foreign currencies during a special operation in Jashore on Thursday. A BGB patrol team of Jashore Battalion (49 BGB) conducted the operation on the Jashore-Jhikargacha highway near Noyanhat based on secret intelligence. The team seized 155.76 grams of diamonds, valued at approximately Tk 6,61,39,590, and detained 52-year-old Sujauddin, a resident of Tamil Nadu, India, son of Abu Bakkar. During interrogation, Sujauddin revealed that he had collected the diamonds from smugglers in Dhaka and was transporting them to Kolkata, India, via Benapole to hand them over to unidentified recipients. He also admitted traveling multiple times over the past month between Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and India. The seized diamonds were examined by a representative of “Diamond World” in the presence of police and preliminarily confirmed to be genuine. In addition to the diamonds, authorities recovered Tk 5,530 in cash, 5,880 Indian rupees, 550 US dollars, 200 Thai baht, one mobile phone, and one digital watch. The total seizure value, including all items, stands at Tk 6,62,65,161. A case has been filed against the suspect, and he is being handed over to Jashore Kotwali Model Police Station. The seized diamonds and foreign currencies are being deposited at the Jashore Treasury. Lieutenant Colonel Golam Mohammad Saiful Alam Khan, commander of Jashore Battalion, said the operation aligns with BGB’s “zero tolerance” policy against smuggling. He added that the BGB remains vigilant to prevent the smuggling of drugs, gold, diamonds, and other contraband across the border.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) imposed Tk 2.61 lakh in fines and sentenced 51 individuals to various terms in jail during the 2nd day of the special drive to reclaim the sidewalks of roads and footpaths on Thursday. During the drive, the law enforcers and executive magistrate also seized goods that occupied roads and footpath illegally and evicted illegal structures established illegally on roads in different parts of the capital. According to sources from the Traffic Lalbagh Division, a total of Tk 6,000 was imposed as fine on 13 traders for violating regulations. The process of sending the detained individuals to court is underway. Besides, Traffic Wari Division said a special drive was carried out from Jatrabari intersection to the Signboard area and some illegal shops set up roadside and business establishments were evicted. A total of Tk 22,500 in fines was imposed on 13 traders for violating rules, while others were warned. Meanwhile, Traffic Ramna Division sources said, a drive was conducted in the Shahbagh Zone to free footpaths from illegal occupation, covering areas from Dhaka Medical College, Nimtoli, and Bangabazar to Golap Shah Mazar crossing. During the drive, 56 video cases and 12 instant cases were filed against illegally parked motorcycles. Besides, Tk 22,500 in fines was imposed through a mobile court and a number of goods were seized. On the other hand, sources from the Traffic Mirpur Division said that during a drive in the Pallabi Zone from Mirpur-10 to Mirpur-12, a total of Tk 55,000 was imposed as fines in 16 cases and roads were cleared of illegal occupation. Earlier on Wednesday, DMP imposed fines worth Tk 1.92 lakh and sentenced 23 people to different terms of imprisonment during a coordinated eviction drive to free roads and footpaths from illegal occupation across the capital. The drive will continue till April 5 at different locations, said Arifa Akhter Preeti, Assistant Police Commissioner of the Media and Public Relations Division of DMP.

Two separate mobile courts recovered 13,980 litres of illegally hoarded diesel in Narayanganj on Tuesday night, imposed fines and imprisoned the offenders. In the first operation, around 6 pm, authorities raided a location next to the Eidgah of Meghna Depot in Godnail, Siddhirganj, based on secret information, and seized 9,100 litres of diesel. The mobile court fined the hoarder, Md Sifat, Tk 6,000 and sentenced him to two months’ imprisonment. In a second operation, a raid at a house on SA Road near Meghna Depot in Godnail led to the seizure of 4,880 litres of diesel. The accused, Md Nasir, was fined Tk 3,000 and sentenced to one month in prison by the mobile court.

The submission of the investigation report in the sensational murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarwar and Mehrun Runi was postponed once again, marking the 125th delay in filing the report. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ariful Islam has now fixed May 7 as the next date for submission. The investigating officer has provided explanations for the repeated delays. On February 9, the court had asked the officer to justify the failure to submit the report. The officer, Additional Superintendent of Police Md. Azizul Haque of the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), appeared in court in person and submitted a two-page written explanation. He told the court that the task force formed to probe the case includes several members in addition to him, which has caused some delay. The report will be submitted on the next scheduled date, he added. Sagar, News Editor of Masranga Television, and Runi, senior reporter of ATN Bangla, were killed on February 11, 2012. Runi’s brother, Nowshar Alam Roman, filed the murder case at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station. The accused in the case are Rafiqul Islam, Bakul Mia, Masum Mintu, Kamrul Islam alias Arun, Abu Saeed, the couple’s two home security guards Palash Rudra Pal and Enayet Ahmed, and their ‘friend’ Tanvir Rahman Khan. Among them, Tanvir is out on bail, while Palash Rudra Pal absconded after being granted bail. The remaining accused are in jail. Initially, the investigation was handled by a sub-inspector of the same police station. Four days later, the probe was handed over to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DB), which failed to solve the case in over two months. Following a High Court directive, the investigation was transferred to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on April 18, 2012. On September 30 last year, the High Court withdrew RAB from the case and formed a high-powered task force comprising experienced investigators from various agencies, giving them six months to complete the probe. On October 17, the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Public Security Division officially formed the task force headed by the PBI chief, with four members working under it.

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman on Wednesday said a total of 142,983 false and harassment cases were filed against BNP leaders and activists between 2007 and January 11, 2025, citing data from the party’s central office. He came up with the information while replying to a starred question from treasury bench lawmaker Md Abdul Mannan (Brahmanbaria-5) in Parliament. The minister said the government does not maintain any official statistics on harassment or false cases filed against leaders and activists of political parties. “As such, there is no specific government data on cases filed only against BNP leaders and activists,” he said adding that the figure was based on information provided by the BNP central office. He said initiatives have been taken to withdraw politically motivated cases since the current government assumed office. He informed the House that a four-member district-level committee headed by the District Magistrate was reconstituted on March 5, 2026 to review applications and recommend withdrawal of such cases after examining FIRs, charge sheets and opinions of public prosecutors. Based on recommendations from these district committees, a six-member central committee—formed on March 8, 2026 took final decisions on case withdrawals, he added. The minister said that so far 23,865 politically motivated cases have already been withdrawn, while the process to withdraw the remaining cases is underway.