Category: CRIME & JUSTICE

A suspected drug trader, Nezam Uddin from Cox’s Bazar, was killed in a reported gunfight between Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and drug traders in Ramu upazila early today. BGB said around 200 smugglers led by Nezam attacked their patrol team, who fired back in self-defence. 98 cartons of cigarettes and 20,000 yaba pills were recovered from the spot. Nezam’s family claimed he went to visit a friend but was shot dead. BGB said he was involved in cattle smuggling and drug trading. Photo: Collected

A woman, Afroza Begum, 40, died in police custody in Jashore’s Abhaynagar upazila on Sunday morning, hours after being detained from her residence. Her family alleged police implicated her in a false drug case and tortured her to death for failing to pay a bribe of Tk 2 lakh. However, police claimed they arrested her with 30 yaba pills and denied torturing her. They said she fell ill in custody and died on the way to the hospital. An investigation is underway.

Questions have arisen over whether false recommendations from three army officials were used to help former army chief Aziz Ahmed’s brother, Haris Ahmed, obtain a national ID card under a fake identity as Mohammad Hasan. Documents show Haris provided false parental information. One of the allegedly involved officials denied making any recommendation, while another said his signature seemed forged. Haris and another brother previously had sentences pardoned in murder cases, raising concerns over the privileged treatment.

A Chattogram court sentenced former Evaly CEO Mohammad Rassel and his wife Shamima Nasrin to one year in jail and fined them Tk 1.80 lakh for cheque fraud. The absconding couple failed to deliver a motorcycle after taking payment and issued a dishonored cheque. The court issued arrest warrants as they are fugitives. Rassel and Shamima were previously arrested in 2021 for fraud and embezzlement but later secured bail.

In a case involving misappropriation of around Tk 25.22 crore from Grameen Telecom Workers’ profit participation fund, a Dhaka court today set June 12 for passing an order on framing charges against Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus and 13 others. Earlier, the accused sought discharge from the case, while the Anti-Corruption Commission argued for framing charges against them.

A Dhaka court today framed charges against five people, including Regent Group Chairman Mohammad Shahed Karim, for issuing fake Covid-19 certificates to 76 workers of the Dhaka Metro Rail project. The other accused are Regent Group’s managing directors and employees. Shahed, who is in jail custody, and two others pleaded not guilty after the charges were read out. The court dismissed petitions for discharging them and set July 2 for starting the trial. Photo: Star

In a startling revelation, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has found that Suraiya Parvin, wife of National Security Intelligence (NSI) official Akram Hossain, had over Tk 1.26 billion deposited in her bank accounts over the past 15 years. The couple owns numerous properties, including flats, shops, and lands across Bangladesh, despite Akram’s modest government salary. The ACC has filed a case against them for acquiring assets from unknown sources and concealing information about their wealth. The six-storey building in Savar’s Birulia owned by NSI official Akram Hossain

The police recovered a huge cache of imported goods worth around Tk 50 lakh from a warehouse in Lalmonirhat’s Hatibandha upazila. The haul included 18,000kg of China clay, Indian clothes, medical accessories, and gold ornaments that went missing 20 days ago after being imported from India. Two C&F traders involved in the crime were arrested, while the warehouse owner is absconding. The operation was conducted by Gazipur DB Police with assistance from Hatibandha police based on information from the truck driver who transported the goods. Photo: Collected

A Dhaka court sentenced two former policemen and their accomplice to four years and six months in prison for snatching a mobile phone, cash, and threatening to implicate an Uber driver in a drug case. The convicts, former ASI Monirul Islam, constable SM Julfikar Ali, and Nuruddin Ahmed Sumon, had stopped the driver at Malibagh Intersection in 2019, planted Yaba tablets in his car, and demanded money, leading to their arrest and conviction.

The Daily Star’s Savar correspondent Aklakur Rahman Akash was severely beaten while covering a dispute at a ceramic factory in Savar this morning. He sustained injuries to his face, eyes, head and other body parts. Akash was attacked by a stick-wielding group when he went to the factory after reports of vandalism amid an ownership tussle. He is undergoing treatment at Enam Medical College Hospital. Photo: Star

Investigators say the assailants who killed Jhenaidah-4 MP Anwarul Azim Anar were not paid the hefty sum promised by Aktaruzzaman, who hired them. Aktaruzzaman, a Bangladesh-born US citizen, is believed to have fled to New York on May 18. The assailants were operatives of the Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP). Authorities are working to bring Aktaruzzaman to Bangladesh, as the murder occurred in Kolkata, India. Anwarul Azim Anar

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Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed allegedly owns at least 260 properties worth around £134.76 million in the UK through eight companies, despite declaring an annual income of only Tk 1.35 lakh in Bangladesh. His affidavit did not disclose any foreign income or assets held by dependents. The companies, incorporated between 2010-2021, have combined assets worth around Tk 2,423 crore according to UK filings, raising questions about the discrepancy between his declared income and massive overseas investments.

An investigation by The Daily Star exposes the dark world of sex trafficking from Bangladesh to Indian cities like Mumbai and Pune. In Pune’s famous Budhwar Peth red-light area, around 200-250 of the 800-900 sex workers are Bangladeshi girls trafficked with false promises. The dilapidated brothels have cramped rooms barely fitting a bed. Some rescued Bangladeshi victims have become brothel managers, perpetuating the vicious trafficking cycle by employing and trafficking more girls from Bangladesh.

Three persons, including Syed Amanullah alias Shimul Bhuiyan, a leader of Purbo Banglar Communist Party, were arrested in connection with the killing of lawmaker Anwarul Azim Anar in Kolkata on May 13. Detectives will seek a 10-day remand for them. The mastermind, Aktaruzzaman Shahin, a Bangladeshi-born American citizen, fled to Nepal after the murder, which was planned months ago. File photo of Anwarul Azim Anar

A five-year-old girl, Mim Akter, was found dead in a sack on her stepmother’s sun-shed in Gazipur’s Kaliakair. Mim went missing around 10 am, and after a search, locals discovered her body around 8 pm. Police have arrested the stepmother, Ayna Akhter, after a case was filed against her. Ayna is set to be produced before the court today. Star Digital Report

A former Union Parishad chairman and Awami League leader, Sikder Mostafa Kamal, was shot dead by miscreants in Narail’s Lohagara upazila last night around 7:30 pm while returning home from the local bazaar. He sustained bullet wounds to the chest and died on the way to Dhaka around 10:30 pm. The incident triggered clashes between rival groups, leaving two injured, one with a bullet wound. Police have taken the two injured into custody as suspected perpetrators of the murder. Photo: Collected from Facebook

In a successful rescue operation, police arrested four kidnappers and rescued a man abducted two days ago from Cumilla’s Monoharganj upazila. The victim, Md Hasan, 39, was found tied up in a room during a raid in Chattogram city. The arrested kidnappers are Alauddin Subuj, Md Liton, Rubel Hossain Badsha, and Abdur Rahman Badol. They had demanded a ransom of Tk 5 lakh from Hasan’s wife after abducting him from Chattogram on Wednesday.

A Dhaka court sentenced Aziz Mohammad Bhai, Adnan Siddiqui, and Afakul Islam to life imprisonment for the murder of actor Sohel Chowdhury in 1998. Six others were acquitted due to lack of evidence. Sohel was shot dead by unidentified criminals at Trumps Club in Banani. The case had been ongoing since 1998, with charges framed in 2001 and proceedings stayed in 2003 until the recent verdict.

A Dhaka court has directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to submit its probe report by July 9 in the Bangladesh Bank cyber heist case involving the theft of $101 million in 2016. CID has now taken 78 dates to complete the investigation into the case filed after $81 million was transferred from Bangladesh Bank’s New York account to Manila, from where most of it went missing. So far, Bangladesh has recovered $35 million of the stolen funds.

Traffic police say relatives of officials from various institutions, including the police force, are illegally using stickers of those institutions on their vehicles for undue privileges. Since April 12, they have taken legal action against 363 vehicles for carrying unauthorized stickers. Police are cracking down on the misuse of stickers as it aids in evading detection after crimes. They have also fined 461 unfit vehicles and impounded 2,350 other illegal vehicles during this period. Photo: Collected

Milton Samadder, founder of Child and Old Age Care, was detained by the detective branch of police from Mirpur area in the capital today. The DB Chief Harun Or Rashid confirmed the matter, stating that the detention followed media reports on alleged irregularities and crimes related to the care home. However, Milton denied the allegations in statements to the media. . Photo: Collected

A 22-year-old man named Tuhin Ali has been arrested and sent to jail in Jashore for allegedly raping a 17-year-old hearing-impaired girl in the area. The victim’s mother filed a case accusing Tuhin of luring the girl to his house and raping her. The mother stated that Tuhin, being a neighbor, would often make illicit proposals and threaten the disabled girl when she refused. Representational image

A man was stabbed to death and at least five others were injured in Brahmanbaria during a clash between two groups over bursting firecrackers after a local football tournament. The deceased, Yakub Miah, 30, was stabbed by Tarek Islam, an MBBS doctor, after an argument broke out while celebrating the winning team’s victory with fireworks. Police have filed a case against six people, including Tarek, who is currently on the run.