Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested six members of an international smuggling racket along with nearly nine kilograms venom of cobra snakes worth 75 crore taka from Dakhsin Khan area in the capital. The information was delivered by RAB media wing on Friday. It was informed that six people were arrested along with the venom on Thursday afternoon. The arrested are- Masud Rana (24), Safir Uddin Shanu (50), Tamjidul Islam alias Monir (34), Alamgir Hossain (26), Firoza Begum (57) and Asma Begum (42). RAB-2 Assistant Director (Media) SP Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun said that based on intelligence information they came to know that some members of an international smuggling racket had been taking position along with huge quantity of snake venom at Gulbar Munshi Sarani area under ward number 50 of Dakshin Khan in the capital. After getting the information RAB team reached the spot at 3:20 pm. Sensing their presence the smugglers tried to run away but six were captured from the spot. He said, at first they denied about smuggling venom. Later 8 kg 96 grams (including the jars) venom was recovered from their possession after searching the bags. The approximate price of the venom is 75 crore taka. Besides, CD related to snake venom, manual and mobile phones were seized from them. The RAB officer also said, after primary interrogation it was known that there is huge demand of venom to a particular class of people. For that reason they collect and supply venom from different parts of the world to be benefitted financially. They are the members of international venom smuggling racket. Besides they have delivered more important information which is under verification. AH

Retired Major Sinha Md. Rashed Khan was murdered as he came to know about the illegal Yaba trading of sacked Officer in Charge (OC) of Teknaf police station Pradeep Kumar Das. After the killing OC Pradeep staged a ‘drama’ of drugs recovery along with other accused including Baharchhara camp in-charge Liakat Ali. The information was delivered at a press conference of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) at its media center at Karwan Bazar in the capital on Sunday. The chargesheet of the case against 15 accused including OC Pradeep was submitted before the court of Cox’s Bazar Senior Judicial Magistrate today. Officer of RAB-15 Assistant Police Super (ASP) Md. Khairul Alam submitted the chargesheet. Of the accused 14 are in jail and one is absconding. Following investigation of the sensational case the report was submitted after more than four months. After submitting the report ASP Md. Khairul Alam said, we have investigated the case from different angles. RAB unearthed involvement of 15 persons in connection with the incident while performing investigation. Among the accused 14 people are in jail including OC Pradeep. One associate of OC Pradeep named Sagor was shown absconding. Earlier, in connection with the case total 14 people including OC Pradeep Kumar Das, Baharchhara camp Inspector Liakat Ali, SI Nanda Dulam Rakshit, three Armed Police Battalion (APBN) members along with some police members of Teknaf police station and three locals were arrested. AH      

Twenty-two accused in BUET student Abrar Fahad murder case, expressed no-confidence on the judge of the Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 on Thursday. No-confidence pleas said that the depositions of witnesses were recorded in the case for a second time illegally which has triggered doubts over proper justice. Besides, the Tribunal prosecutor Abu Abdullah Bhuiyan said the accused have filed no-confidence pleas against Tribunal Judge Abu Jafar Md Kamruzzaman to prolong the trial process. The Tribunal has fixed December 6 to hear the matter, he said. So far, depositions of 40 witnesses among 60 have been recorded in the case. On Sep 15, charges were framed against 25 accused in the murder case. Abrar, 21, a second-year student of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, was beaten to death reportedly by then Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders at Sher-e-Bangla Hall of the university. He was found dead on the staircase of the hall in the early hours of October 7 after he was taken to room No-2011 around 8pm on October 6 and beaten mercilessly. His murder sparked nationwide outcry. On November 13, the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) submitted a charge sheet before the court. On November 18 last, the court accepted the chargesheet against 25 accused. On January 13, the case was shifted to the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court from Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court. On March 12 this year, Abrar murder case was shifted to Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 after his parents met the Law Minister and urged to shift the case to a Speedy Trial Tribunal. Source: UNB AH

Police on Thursday pressed charges against eight accused in a case filed over the gang rape of a woman at Sylhet MC College. Investigation officer of the case Indranil Bhattacharya submitted the chargesheet before the Judge of Sylhet Metropolitan Magistrate Court Abul Kashem, said additional deputy commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police BM Ashrafullah Taher. According to the police, they found the direct involvement of six people in the rape while two abated others in the crime. The six chargesheeted accused who were directly involved in the crime are: Saifur Rahman, Shah Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman Rony, Tariqul Islam Tarek, Arjun Laskar, Mohammad Ainuddin alias Ainul and Misbaul Islam Rajon. The other chargesheeted accused are Rabiul Islam Hasan and Mahfuzur Rahman Masum. On November 30, police received the DNA report of the MC College rape incident and found the involvement of some accused, arrested over the gang rape, in a DNA test. The horrific incident A group of youths tied up a man and raped his 19-year-old wife at a dormitory of MC College on September 25. After police rescued the couple, the victim’s husband filed a case with Shahporan Police Station against nine people mentioning the names of six. Law enforcers arrested eight people in this connection and they are now in police custody. On September 30, the High Court formed an investigation committee to look into the incident. Highest punishment for rape The rape incident at MC College and another in Noakhali fuelled countrywide protests against sexual violence against women that prompted the government to amend the relevant law with a provision of capital punishment for rape. The much-talked-about 'Women and Children Repression Prevention (Amendment) Bill, 2020' was then passed in Parliament on November 17 for ensuring death penalty as the highest punishment for the heinous crime of rape. Source: UNB AH

In an overnight drive, members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested a man, locally known as ‘Golden Monir’, along with ‘arms, drugs and huge foreign currencies’ from his residence in the capital’s Badda area. Rab’s Legal and Media wing chief Lt Col Ashik Billah came up with the information at a press briefing on Saturday. The drive was conducted from Friday night to Saturday morning, he said. Foreign currencies of 10 countries, worth Tk 9 lakh, around 600 tolas of gold, weighing 8 kg, and cash Tk 1.9 crore were recovered from his possession, said Ashik Billah. He said Monir Hossain, a vicious hundi trader and land broker, is locally known as ‘Golden Monir’, as Rab found his involvement in gold smuggling, said Billah adding that he is also the owner of a car showroom. “In 1990s, Monir was a salesman in a shop at Gausia Market. He later started cookeries and luggage business. He used to import goods from different countries dodging taxes. He also got involved in gold smuggling from Dhaka-Singapore and Bangladesh-India routes,” said Ashik. Monir has 200 plots in his name in Badda, Nikunja, Uttara and Keraniganj, and used a luxurious car worth Tk 3 crore, he said adding that all the information was revealed during a preliminary investigation by the detectives.  Ashik said a case was filed against Monir under the Special Powers Act in 2007 and he was identified as a ‘land robber’ as he occupied many land plots allegedly in collusion with a section of Rajuk employees. The total amount of his wealth is approximately 1050 crore, said the Rab media wing chief. He was taken to Rab-3 office for further interrogation. Source: UNB AH