2 teen girls 'raped' in 2 districts

Criminals have raped two teenage girls in Joypurhat and Bandarban and stabbed one of them indiscriminately in a bizarre show of barbarism.

The criminals stabbed a class IX schoolgirl indiscriminately after raping her in Kalai upazila of Joypurhat in the early hours yesterday, reports our Dinajpur correspondent.

Locals of Bandighi village of Kalai upazila said the criminals had broken into the house of the 15-year-old girl. They locked her parents' room and raped her in the next room.

The criminals left the scene after indiscriminately stabbing her in the face.

The victim's father, a farm labourer, suspects his daughter might have identified the criminals, who, sensing that, wanted to shut her mouth forever.

The victim's mother woke up early in the morning hearing her daughter's wail and found the room locked from outside. As they shouted for help, locals rushed there and immediately took the girl to Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in Bogra.

Villagers blocked the Kalai-Gobindaganj Road for an hour in protest against the incident.

In a separate overnight incident in Bandarban, a 17-year-old indigenous girl was gang-raped.

The victim of Marma community, an SSC examinee, is now undergoing treatment at Bandarban Sadar Hospital.

Ufochaing Marma, who was accompanying the girl, said four unidentified men raped the girl in Rowangchhari bus station area around 11:20pm when they were returning from Rajpunnyah festival. The criminals also beat up Ufochaing.

A case was under process in this regard yesterday evening. Bandarban Sadar police station Officer-in-Charge Rafiqul Islam said they were raiding different areas to arrest the culprits, reports our district correspondent.