2 women raped in Mymensingh, Cox’s Bazar

Police claimed to have arrested two persons for their alleged involvement in rape of a 19-year old girl in Mymensingh and allegation of gang-rape of a woman has surfaced in Cox’s Bazar.

In Mymensingh, police last night arrested Ujjol Mia, 22, for allegedly raping the 19-year old girl along with three other men, and one Hasina Akter, 50, wife of former watchman Forkan Ali, for allegedly assisting the rapists, in a case filed by the victim’s father, Khandaker Shaker Ahmed, officer-in-charge (Investigation) of Kotwali Police Station, told our local correspondent.

Police are trying to arrest the three other accused in the case, identified as Morol Mia, Moni Mia, and Himel Mia, the OC said.

On Wednesday, the girl was returning home from a relative’s house in Sadar upazila of the district in the evening when the four youths started stalking her. The girl started running and reached the house of Forkan Ali and asked help from his wife Hasina Akter, the police official said.

Instead of helping the girl, Hasina assisted the rapists, he added.

In Cox’s Bazar, allegations have surfaced that the high-ups of Maheshkhali upazila are trying to hush up the incident of gang-rape of a woman on July 7, reports our Cox’s Bazar correspondent.

The woman, who hails from Matarbari and works in Chattogram, went to Maheshkhali on July 7 for personal reason. At Chaliatoli Station she faced some problem as she did not have enough money to pay her CNG fare.

Three persons -- Amir Salam, Enia and Adalot Kha -- came forward promising to help her and took her to the side of a river where the CNG driver Osman and 11 others joined them later, the woman alleged.

They took turns to rape her there for the whole night and also snatched her belongings. She was later seen by a local fish vendor at Dargahghona area on the next day who helped her with money to reach her home, she said.

After the incident surfaced, the alleged rapists tried to hush it up with the help of the local member Liakat Ali and Matarbari Union Parishad member Shamima Ara as mediators.

The family of the victim went to the police station twice to lodge the complaint, but the police officials did not file the complaint after the local leaders intervened, the victim alleged.

Later in a local arbitration, the culprits were sentenced some beatings and fined Tk 10,000, which has not been given to the victim yet, she said.

Our Cox’s Bazar correspondent tried to contact Liakat Ali, but to no avail.

Contacted, Provat Chandra Dey, officer-in-charge of Maheshkhali Police Station, said that no one went to the police station with such allegation.