Bus helper confesses rape, murder of nurse

Swarnalata Paribahan bus helper Lalon Miah yesterday confessed to a Kishoreganj court that he, along with driver Nuruzzaman and another man, gang-raped nurse Shahinoor Akhter Tania before shoving her off the running bus, said police.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Md Al Mamun recorded the confessional statement under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in the evening before sending Lalon to jail, said Sarwar Jahan, OC (investigation) of Bajitpur Police Station.

Earlier on May 11, driver Nuruzzaman, another accused in the murder case, made a confessional statement in a Kishoreganj court.

Two more accused in the case are still on the run. Besides, three other people were detained for interrogation, Masrukur Rahman Khaled, superintendent of Kishoreganj police, told reporters.

Law enforcers were conducting drives to arrest the third rapist, but they did not disclose his name for the sake of investigation.

Nuruzzaman in his confessional statement said the third person had violated the nurse first. The police would have a clear idea of the incident after his arrest, said the SP.

A district police official hinted that the third rapist might be a helper of another bus of the same transport company.

On May 6, 24-year-old Tania, who worked at Ibne Sina Hospital’s Kalyanpur branch in the capital, died in mysterious circumstances in a bus on her way home in Kishoreganj’s Katiadi upazila.

Daughter of 65-year-old farmer Gias Uddin in Baherchar village, Tania was the youngest among six siblings.

A day after the incident, the victim’s father filed a murder and rape case with the police station naming four, including the driver and his helper, and some unknown people.

GIRL RAPED IN MUNSHIGANJ

A seven-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a son of her landlord in Kumarvog area of Louhojong upazila yesterday afternoon.

Police picked up alleged rapist Billal Hossain, 38, said Monir Hossain, OC of Louhajong police.

Quoting the girl’s family members, the OC said the family lived in a rented house in the area. Billal is the son of landlord Karim Bepari.

The girl was staying alone at her room in the afternoon when Billal entered the room and violated her, said Monir.

Hearing the girl crying for help, locals rushed to the house, caught Billal and later handed him over to police.

A correspondent in Kishoreganj and our correspondent in Munshiganj contributed to this report.