5 girls raped in 4 districts

Allegations that five girls were raped in separate incidents emerged on International Women's Day yesterday amid a cry for justice for a wave of recent sexual assaults.

Meanwhile, two schoolgirls survived rape attempts as the nation was still in shock over the alleged rape and attempted murder of an eight-year-old girl in Magura.    

In Gazipur's Sreepur, police detained two people yesterday for allegedly raping two children in separate incidents. They are Arman Mia, 27, from Gafargaon upazila of Mymensingh, and Md A Malek, 22, from Kalmakanda upazila of Netrakona.

Arman took an eight-year-old third grader to a forest of Dargarchala village in Barmi union and raped her last evening, alleged her father, who expressed helplessness in pursuing justice for his daughter. "I am a poor fish seller and my wife is physically challenged," he said. 

Sub-Inspector Shamim Akhtar of Sreepur Police Station said locals rescued the victim and caught the accused after hearing her screams. After receiving information, police went to the spot and sent the victim to a hospital.

Arman also recorded a video of the incident, Shamim said, adding that police seized his phone. 

Police found three "objectionable" videos on Arman's mobile phone which were shared on messaging apps.

Madrasa teacher Malek was detained last night for allegedly raping an eight-year-old student on March 6, Sreepur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Joynal Abedin Mondal said.

Police said on March 8, when the victim's father Mubarak urged his daughter to go to the madrasa, his daughter

The girl's father said he came to know about the incident after his daughter refused to go the madrasa, saying she was raped and threatened by the teacher.

In Munshiganj Sadar upazila, locals of Char Muktarpur area detained Mohammad Sekandor Ali Chokder, 65, from Tongibari and handed him over to police on charges of raping two girls aged eight and 10.

The incident occurred on March 2, but it came to light on Friday night after one of the children disclosed the incident to her mother, who filed a case in this connection, police said. 

The suspect allegedly lured the girls to a secluded location with food and balloons before raping them.

The children were sent to a hospital for medical examination, said Mohammad Saiful Alam, officer-in-charge of Munshiganj Sadar Police Station.

In Faridpur Sadar upazila, police arrested a 14-year-old boy in a case filed by a man on charges of raping his four-year-old daughter a mahogany orchard on Friday night. When the girl screamed, passersby rescued her and stopped the boy from fleeing.

The accused was sent to jail by the court, said Md Assaduzzaman, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station. The victim was sent to Faridpur Medical College Hospital.

In Tangail's Mirzapur upazila, a woman filed a case yesterday over the rape of her 10-year-old second-grader madrasa student daughter and an arbitration over the incident.

The suspected rapist was identified as Firoz Mia, 45. Four other accused -- Babul, Malek, Yunus and Saju -- face charges of covering up the crime through arbitration, destroying evidence and helping the main suspect escape.

One week after the incident last month, the local influential people in an arbitration asked Firoz to pay the victim's family Tk 1,50,000. The mother was forced to accept the arbitration under threats. She said she was given Tk 92,000.

Mosharraf Hossain, officer-in-charge of Mirzapur Police Station, said that a police operation was underway to arrest the accused while the victim would be sent to the hospital for a medical examination.

In Chattogram, a gang of four youths attempted to rape a schoolgirl in the Guliakhali Sea Beach area of Sitakunda upazila yesterday, police said.

The incident occurred when the girl, along with her male friend and two younger brothers, went to the sea beach for a visit.

Mozibur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Sitakunda Model Police Station, said they launched an operation to arrest the suspects.

In Thakurgaon Sadar upazila, police detained Mozammel Haque Manik, 50, an assistant teacher of a government primary school, on charges of attempting to rape a 12-year-old fifth grader at the institution during a private tuition class yesterday morning.

The girl was admitted to a government hospital for treatment. A doctor said she was traumatised and sick. The doctor also said some tests were necessary to confirm whether the girl was raped.

On information, police detained the teacher from his house in the afternoon, said Saiful Islam, officer-in-charge of Bhulli Police Station. 

[Our correspondents in Munshiganj, Gazipur, Faridpur, Tangail, Chattogram and Thakurgaon contributed to this report]