8 arrested in Ctg over gang-rape; more incidents of rape surface

At least 19 people were arrested on rape charges across the country in less than 24 hours since Thursday evening.

Of them, eight persons, including a female, were arrested in connection with the gang-rape of a 22-year-old housewife in Chattogram yesterday.

The gang-rape incident took place early yesterday when the victim was returning to her residence from adjacent Rangunia upazila.

She took a rickshaw from Bahaddarhat CNB area on her way back to home. A group of eight to 10 persons on CNG-run auto-rickshaw stopped her in Maulavi Pukurpar area.

Later, they dragged her beside a dustbin and gang-raped around 12:30am, police said.

Local police was informed about the incident by the One-stop Crisis Centre at Chattogram Medical College Hospital around 4:30am, Bijoy Boshak, deputy commissioner (north) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police, said. 

The arrestees are Jahangir Alam, 38, Yusuf, 32, Debu Barua alias Jobair Hossain, Shahed, Rintu Dutta Biplob, Ripon, Sujan, and Monwara Begum alias Lebur Ma.

The woman was present at the spot during the incident, said DC Bijoy.

In Khulna, police arrested a man named Asanur Rahman Gazi yesterday afternoon for allegedly raping his 15-year-old niece.

Asanur mixed sleeping pills with soft drink and offered his niece to drink it last Saturday. As the girl fell unconscious, he raped her.

The victim's father filed a case with Paikgachha Police Station yesterday, said Ezaz Shafi, officer-in-charge of the police station.

In Savar, police on Thursday night detained five people for allegedly gang-raping a 23-year-old housewife in Ashulia.

The arrestees are Saiful Islam, 18, Antar, 19, Jotirmoy Saha, 20, Pappu Saha, 19, and Milon, 21, said Inspector (Investigation) Ziaul Islam of Ashulia Police Station.

Quoting the victim, a residence of Dhaka's Mirpur, said Ziaul, Saiful and Antar forcibly took her to an abandoned place in Ashulia and they along with seven other youths raped her on September 23.

After that incident, the victim was gang-raped again by the same people and three other persons after she was forced to meet them.

The victim recently revealed the incidents to her husband who sought help from police on Thursday night.

Inspector Ziaul said they arrested the five persons in separate drives in Rustompur area of Ashulia.

Abdur Rashid, inspector (operations) of Ashulia Police Station, said around 10 persons were involved in the incident.

In another incident, Helal Uddin, 57, a landlord, was arrested on Thursday night allegedly for raping three girls including twins, all aged about nine, on August 6.

The father of the twins, a garment factory worker, filed a case with Ashulia police on Thursday night over the incident, said Inspector Ziaul.

According to the case statement, Helal lured the three girls to his room saying he would buy them bottle of cold-drink on the day of the incident when their parents were away at work.

Also, police arrested a 35-year-old man from Nama Genda area of Savar on Thursday night on charge of raping his daughter on October 6, said Saiful Islam, inspector (investigation) of Savar Model Police Station.

In Tangail, a 10-year-old girl was allegedly raped by two men at Bhuapur upazila.

Police and the family sources said Ismail Hossain, 40, of the same upazila, called the IV-grader victim at his house on October 5. Later, Ismail and Mostofa raped the girl there.

The girl's father filed a case with Bhuapur Police Station on Thursday afternoon accusing Mostofa and Ismail.

Mostofa, who was arrested yesterday, admitted to rape the girl during primary interrogation, said Rashidul Islam, officer-in-charge of Bhuapur Police Station.

In Feni, police yesterday arrested Emon Faruk Badsha, 20, of Chhagalnaiya, for allegedly raping his four-year-old niece on Monday.

The district police also arrested Tomij Uddin Nayan, 50, president of ward-7 unit of Awami League in Motiganj union of Sonagazi, from Bhadadia village in the same upazila for allegedly raping his 14-year-old niece on Thursday night, reported UNB.

Police on Wednesday arrested Kamrul Islam, 40, in Laxmipur's Raipur on suspicion of raping and abducting his nice, a 10th grader from Chandpur's Faridganj, read a separate UNB report.