A total of 82 people have been detained on different charges in separate drives in seven districts - Bogura, Sirajganj, Rajshahi, Moulvibazar, Barishal, Lalmonirhat and Natore, in recent times.
BOGURA: The presiding officer of a polling centre in Gabtali Upazila of the district and the agent of a chairman candidate were arrested allegedly for trying to commit fraud by stamping ballot papers during the first phase of Upazila Parishad election in the country on Wednesday.
The arrested are: Shahjahan Hossain, presiding officer of Kusumkhali Government Primary School Poll Centre, and Imdadul Haque, an agent of the chairman candidate and president of Gabtali Municipality Unit of Awami League (AL) Rafi Newaz Khan.
Gabtali Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Nusrat Jahan Banya said that the incident occurred at around 10 am at the polling centre.
Soon after the incident, the two were arrested for attempting to bring in ballots which were stamped outside the centre, said the UNO.
"The presiding officer Shahjahahn and agent Imdadul confessed that they took 300 ballot papers for the chairmans post, 300 for the vice-chairmans post, and 300 for the female vice-chairmans post outside of the centre and stamped them there," said Bogura Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sumon Chandra.
Police have also recovered Tk 50,000 from their possession, however, they were arrested, and the stamped ballot papers and ballot rolls were seized, the ASP added.
SIRAJGANJ: Seven people were detained on different charges in separate drives in the district recently.
Six people including five presiding officers were arrested recently on charge of holding a "secret meeting to work for a chairman candidate" in the upazila parishad election scheduled to be held on Wednesday.
The five presiding officers are: Sirajul Islam, also an assistant professor of Jamuna Degree College, Ashraful Islam, headmaster of SB Railway Colony Government Primary School, Md Abu Shama, assistant lecturer of Sirajganj Police Lines School and College, Bacchu Kumar Ghosh, lecturer of Bahuka Degree College, and Yeasin Arafat, a principal officer of Janata Bank.
The other arrestee is Aminul Islam, a teacher of Shialkole Government Primary School and also the president of Sirajganj Primary Teachers Association.
Sirajganj Deputy Commissioner (DC) and also Returning Officer Mir Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman gave the information at a press conference.
Subsequently, local administration appointed 10 new presiding officers and cancelled the appointment of 10 presiding officers including the arrested ones.
The DC said they conducted a joint drive with police, election office and the district administration after being tipped off that a secret meeting was taking place at Garden Palace Resort in Kadai area of Sadar Upazila, involving several presiding officers supporting a chairman candidate.
Though no one could be arrested from the scene during the drive, later CCTV footage and some resort staffs were taken to the local police station (PS) for questioning, said the DC.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Arifur Rahman Mandal said they conducted drives in the district and arrested them including the meetings mastermind Aminul Islam.
The ongoing operation to arrest others is continuing, the SP added.
Sirajul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Sirajganj Sadar PS, said Md Shahidul Islam, returning officer of six upazila parishad elections in Sirajganj and also the district election officer, filed a case with the PS accusing 20 people including eight named accused over holding a secret meeting with some supporters of Sadar Upazila Parishad chairman candidate Riaz Uddin at a park.
The OC further said police had CCTV footage of the incident.
Following this, the law enforcers arrested the six, the OC added.
The upazila has a total of 171 polling centres and the upazila polls are going to be held across the country in four phases, starting from Wednesday.
On the other hand, police have arrested the fugitive convict, who was sentenced to life-term imprisonment for violating a teenage girl in 2001, from Ashulia in Dhaka recently.
The arrested man is Easin Ali, 60, a resident of Purbadelua Village under the upazila.
ASP (Ullapara Circle) Amrita Kumar Sutradar confirmed the matter.
According to prosecution, the arrested along with his cohorts attacked the victim Purnima Rani Shills house and assaulted her parents. They then forcibly took the girl, an eighth grader to a field, where they violated her repeatedly.
Following the incident, the victims father Anil Chandra lodged a case with the PS concerned accusing 16 people.
Later on, a court sentenced 11 of them to life-term imprisonment on May 11, 2011.
Since then, Easin and four other accused went into hiding.
"Police had been conducting drives to arrest the fugitive convicts, and on information, they raided Ashulia recently and arrested Easin," said ASP Amrita Kumar Sutradar.
The arrested was, later, sent to jail following a court order, and efforts are going on to arrest the other four convicts, the ASP added.
RAJSHAHI: Police arrested eight abductors from Shah Makhdum PS area in the city recently.
The arrested persons are: Rajan Islam, 24, Ashiq Islam, 21, Jahid Hasan, 19, Dipta Mallick, 19, Sohanur Rahman Joy, 20, Sadman Sadiq, 19, Akash Islam Arif, 18, and Shihab Hossain, 18.
It was known that Jarman Ali of Dhadash Village under Belpukur PS had a longstanding feud with a son of his sister Rajan Islam over family and land issues. However, Jarman Ali was going to Rajshahi City Haat from the house recently riding on a leguna (local vehicle).
On the way, Rajan Islam along with his people abducted Jarman Ali at gun point from Amchattar area under Shah Makhdum PS, and tried to take him to an unidentified place.
As Jarman Ali screamed on the way near Nawdapara area, Rajan stabbed him and fled the scene along with his people after sensing the presence of locals.
Jarman Alis brother lodged a case with Shah Makhdum PS in this regard.
Following this, a team of police conducted separate drives in different places of Amchattar, and detained eight people.
The arrested persons were, later, sent to jail following a court order.
KULAURA, MOULVIBAZAR: Police, in a drive, arrested three robbers along with fake firearms from Kulaura Upazila in the district recently while they were preparing to commit a robbery.
The arrested persons are: Hridoy Ahmed Bahar, 30, of Kulaura Upazila; and Md Al Amin, 37, and Md Saju Mia, 35, residents of Sadar Upazila in the district.
Kulaura PS OC Mohammad Ali Mahmud said on information that a group of robbers taking preparation to commit robbery, a team of the law enforcers conducted a drive in Shibir Road area under Kulaura Municipality, and arrested the trio along with a fake pistol.
After filing of a case with Kulaura PS, the arrested were sent to jail following a court order, the OC added.
BARISHAL: A total of 29 people were arrested on different charges in separate drives in the district recently.
Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested 25 members of a brokers gang from Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital (SBMCH) in the city recently.
RAB-8 Commander Lt Col Kazi Jubayer Alam Shovon confirmed the matter.
The RAB official said on information that a gang of brokers creating various sufferings for the patients of the SBMCH and their relatives, a team of the elite force conducted a drive in the hospital recently, and detained 25 of the brokers.
On the other hand, Detective Branch (DB) of Police arrested four members including two women of an inter-district auto-rickshaw snatching gang from the city recently.
The arrested persons are: Masum Hawlader, 30, a resident of Mollar Hawla Village under Tungipara Union in Sadar Upazila, his wife Mosammat Sathi, 23; and Beauty Begum, 43, of Banglabazar area, and Mahbubur Rahman, 45, of Bandh Road area in the city.
District DB Police Inspector said one Humayun Kabir of Rasulpur Char area in the city was waiting along with his battery-run auto-rickshaw at the SBMCH. At that time, a couple rented his auto-rickshaw for going to Banglabazar area.
On the way, the couple stabbed Humayun Kabir on his throat near SBMCH Health Technology Institution, and fled away after snatching the auto-rickshaw, leaving its driver behind on the road.
Locals then rescued critically injured Humayun Kabir and admitted him to the SBMCH.
Later on, a team of DB Police arrested Masum and his wife, but did not find the auto-rickshaw at that time. Following the information given by the arrested duo, the law enforcers later arrested Beauty and Mahbubur along with the snatched auto-rickshaw.
LALMONIRHAT: Police, in a drive, arrested eight people including a school teacher on the charge of gambling from Aditmari Upazila in the district recently.
The arrested persons are: Mukul Chandra, 38, science teacher of Sarpukur High School, Dharmakanta Roy, 35, Tarakchandra, 45, Satyajit Roy, 25, Shahidul Islam, 40, Suresh Chandra, 30, Kamal Hossain, 25, and Milon Mia. All of them are residents of the upazila.
Police sources said on information, a team of the law enforcers conducted a drive in Bhelabari Falimari Bazar area of the upazila, and detained the eight red-handed while they were gambling.
After filing of a case under the Gambling Act with Aditmari PS, the arrested people were sent to jail following a court order.
Aditmari PS OC Mahmud Un Nabi confirmed the matter.
NATORE: A total of 25 people were arrested on different charges in separate drives in Singra and Lalpur upazilas of the district recently.
Members of RAB arrested a fugitive convict, who was sentenced to death in a case filed over violation of a college student in Singra Upazila of the district in 2012.
The arrested man is Sabbir Ahmed alias Abu Sayeed.
The elite force members arrested Sabbir from Dhaka Airports Golchattar area recently.
Acting on a tipp-off, a team of Natore RAB Camp conducted a drive in the area and arrested Sabbir with the help of RAB-1.
According to the prosecution, Sabbir, son of Md Mostafizur Rahman of Dhanaidah area under Baraigram Upazila in Natore, had a love affair with a college student of Singra Upazila.
On October 19 in 2012, Sabbir took the girl to Kalam Mirzapur Village, where he along with his friends gang-raped her.
Later on October 20 in 2012, the family members of the victim filed a case with Singra PS under the Woman and Children Repression Prevention Act.
After investigation, police submitted the charge-sheet to the court against 11 people.
On April 5 last year, the judge of Natore Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal sentenced six people including Sabbir to death and four others to life-term imprisonment.
A few accused including Sabbir have remained absconding since the verdict was pronounced.
On the other hand, police arrested four people reportedly for killing a local leader of AL in Gopalpur Municipality under Lalpur Upazila in the district recently.
The arrested persons are: Md Sumon, 28, Md Liton, 44, Md Tomal, 22, and Md Robiul.
Lalpur PS OC Nasim Ahmed confirmed the information and said a murder case was filed with the PS against 16 people over the killing. Since then, police conducted raids and arrested the four.
Earlier, a group of four to five miscreants riding on motorbikes stopped in front of a local shop in Azimpur Rail Station and fired on the head and stomach of the deceased Md Manjur Rahman Manju, 45, vice-president of the municipality unit of the AL, hailed from Bahadipur Village in the upazila, which left him dead on the spot.
Meanwhile, police have detained at least 20 members of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh and its students wing Islami Chhatra Shibir in the district recently.
They were detained while holding a secret meeting at the house of local Jamaat leader Ainul Haque in Shivnagar Village of Lalpur Upazila in the district, said Lalpur PS OC Nasim Ahmed.
District Jamaat Karma Parishad member Professor Abdul Wahab and its Assistant General Secretary of Lalpur Upazila Jamaat Masud Rana were among the detainees.
However, the arrested persons were produced before the court, the OC added.
Lalpur Upazila Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Maulana Abul Kalam Azad said in a circular that the police raided and detained 20 leaders and activists during the partys new membership formation.
