Man held for harassing girl in train

Passengers of Rajshahi-bound Silk City Express caught a man and handed him over to police in Ishwardi railway station area on Thursday night for allegedly harassing a schoolgirl sexually inside the train’s toilet.

The arrestee is Mominul Islam, 27, of Chapainawabganj’s Thana-tola village. Yesterday, he was sent to Natore jail after being produced before a local court in a case filed by the victim’s aunt.

The incident happened around 9:00pm on Thursday when the train from Dhaka entered Lalpur upazila of Natore, said OC Subir Kumar Dutta of Ishwardi Railway Police Station in Pabna.

Quoting the victim, the OC said the 14-year-old girl, along with her aunt, boarded the train at Shahid Captain Mansur Ali Railway Station in Sirajganj for Rajshahi.

Mominul entered the toilet forcibly and harassed the eighth grader sexually when she was about to come out of the toilet.

As the victim screamed for help, some passengers rushed there, rescued her and caught the culprit, Subir said.

In Savar, a 12-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a youth in Shyampur area on Thursday evening.

Police arrested Saddam Hossen, 26, of the same area in connection with the incident.

Quoting the victim’s family, OC AFM Sayeed of Savar Police Station said the suspect forcibly took the girl to an under-construction building and raped her.

Hearing cries for help, some locals rushed to the building, caught Saddam, and beat him up. They later handed him over to police.

Saddam was arrested in a case filed by the victim’s father. He was sent to a Dhaka court with a seven-day remand prayer, said the OC.

The victim was sent to One-stop Crisis Centre at Dhaka Medical College Hospital for medical examinations.

In Habiganj, a 14-year-old schoolgirl was allegedly gang-raped by four men at her home in Madhabpur upazila on Tuesday night.

The victim was undergoing treatment at Habiganj Sadar Hospital.

Police arrested Md Mustafa, 35, a suspect from Durgapur village in the upazila. The three others were on the run.

The victim’s father said Mustafa and his three associates entered his house around 11:00pm on Tuesday when his daughter was studying in a room alone. The culprits raped her before he returned home around 4:00am on Wednesday.

SI Murshed Alam, in-charge of Kashimnagar Police Outpost, said the victim’s father filed a case on Thursday night in connection with the incident.

The plaintiff said he primarily didn’t dare to file a case as the culprits threatened his family members with dire consequences if they took legal actions.

Our correspondents in Pabna, Savar and Moulvibazar contributed to this report.