Another arrested over Ctg madrasa girl's rape

Police yesterday arrested a man from Banshkhali upazila in Chattogram in connection with the case filed over raping a female madrasa student in the port city on January 27.

The arrestee, Md Shahabuddin, 24, was an accomplice to the prime accused of the case – who was killed in a “gunfight” with police on January 29, said Mohammad Mohsin, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station.

On information, a team of law enforcers conducted a drive at Jaldi village and arrested the man around 1am. He has been absconding for three months.

Earlier on January 29, police also arrested Shyamol Dey, 30, hours before the prime accused -- also named Shahabuddin -- was killed in a gunfight.

The case was filed on January 28, a day after prime accused Shahabuddin and Shyamol forcibly picked up the girl, who was going to attend classes, in a private car from in front of Jamal Khan PDB officer quarters around 10:30am, police said.

The duo was able to carry out the crime in broad daylight as the car had tinted windows and they played loud music.

They also pretended to have recorded the whole incident on one of their mobile phones and threatened the girl of releasing the video clip if she told anyone.

A day after the rape, the prime accused called the girl and asked her to come to a designated place threatening to release the clip if she had acted otherwise.

That night, police arrested Shyamol and on his information went to arrest Shahabuddin in city's Fishery Ghat area.

The “gunfight” ensued around 3:30am, when the prime accused and his accomplice opened fire on police, forcing them to retaliate.

The prime accused Shahabuddin was killed in the incident, but the accomplice had managed to flee.