Four arrested over rape in Patuakhali, Lalmonirhat

Police have arrested three men over the gang-rape of a woman in Patuakhali's Kuakata and another man over the rape of a fifth-grader in Patgram of Lalmonirhat.

The three arrestees in the Kuakata incident included the alleged boyfriend of the 22-year-old woman and manager of a residential hotel in the town known for its sea beach, the law enforcers said.

A Patuakhali court sent the trio to jail after they were arrested in different areas of the district yesterday. 

The arrests were made after the woman filed a case against the three men with Mahipur Police Station on Monday night. The arrestees are her alleged boyfriend Roni Pada, 24, his friend Mainul Islam, 20, and hotel manager Shahidul Islam, 35, said Md Mizanur Rahman, inspector of the police station.

Quoting the victim, the police officer said the woman, from Barguna's Taltoli upazila, and Roni of Patuakhali's Dashmina upazila started talking on mobile phone 10 to 15 days ago. On Monday, Roni took her to the beach and then to a room of the hotel where he raped her.

Mainul, who is also from Dashmina, also raped her with the help of Roni and the hotel manager, the inspector said, quoting the victim.   

The next day, the woman managed to flee. She then went to Mahipur police and filed the case.

After the case was lodged, police launched drives and arrested the accused. They produced the arrestees before Kalapara senior judicial magistrate court, which sent them to jail, yesterday afternoon.

The woman was sent to 250-bed Patuakhali General Hospital for medical tests, said police.

In the Lalmonirhat incident, the fifth-grader was raped in her own home in a village in Patgram upazila on Monday, said police.

The alleged rapist, Rezwan Islam, 28, of Radhanath village of the upazila, has been arrested after the girl's mother filed a case with Patgram Police Station, said OC Sumar Kumar Mahanta of the police station.

Quoting the case statement, police said the victim was alone in her home on Monday afternoon when Rezwan raped her. Hearing her screams, locals rescued her but Rezwan managed to flee.

On information, police came and sent the girl to Patgram Upazila Health Complex.

Her mother alleged that Rezwan had long been sexually harassing the girl. She demanded his exemplary punishment.

(Our correspondent in Patuakhali and Lalmonirhat contributed to the report)