UP member, mosque imam arrested on rape charges

Rab arrested a union parishad member on charge of raping a woman in Joypurhat early yesterday, while an Imam of a mosque in Rangpur's Taraganj upazila was sent to jail for raping a 10-year-oldgirl on Wednesday night.

The Joypurhat arrestee, Abdul Kuddus, 46, of Chawkshyam village under Sadar upazila, is a member of ward-8 of Dogachhi union.

MM Mohaimenur Rashid, additional SP of Rab-5 in Joypurhat, said a team of his unit arrested the UP member after getting a written complaint from the victim on Wednesday night.

A month ago, Kuddus offered to get the victim, who was desperately looking for a job, employment in Saudi Arabia and send her to the Gulf country. After the offer, the woman prepared her passport.

With passport in hand, the woman went to Khanjanpur in Joypurhat municipality area on Wednesday afternoon to meet Kuddus, who took her to a nearby house and raped her.

Kuddus fled when the victim cried out for help, and locals took her to a hospital.

Rab members handed Kuddus over to the Joypurhat Sadar Police Station after the mother of the victim filed a case accusing him.

In Rangpur, police arrested Atiqul Islam, 30, an Imam of a mosque at Jhakuapara village in Taraganj upazila, for raping a 10-year-old hearing-impaired girl on Wednesday. A district court sent him to jail yesterday.

He is a resident of the upazila's Jummapara village.

Ismail Hossain, officer-in-charge of Taraganj Police Station, said police arrested the Imam on Wednesday night from his home after the victim's father filed a case in this regard.

Police, quoting family members of the victim, said the girl went to the Imam for lessons on Wednesday morning. However, the Imam raped her in a nearby room, they said.

After her parents learnt of the incident, the father filed a case on Wednesday evening.

Police sent the victim to hospital for medical tests.