A joint operation by the army and police in the riverine char areas of Araihazar upazila in Narayanganj recovered a large quantity of weapons, ammunition, explosives, drugs, and cash early Friday. The raid, conducted from 5:30 a.m. across Khaliar Char, Madhyar Char, and Kadmir Char under Kalapaharia Union, led to the arrest of five local residents. Among the recovered items were a foreign-made pistol looted from Araihazar Police Station, magazines, bullets, shotgun cartridges, eight cocktails, local weapons, an electric shock device, a mobile phone, and over 1 million taka in cash.

According to a press briefing held at Jahanara High School field, the operation involved 140 army personnel and 10 police officers under the 45 MLRS Regiment Artillery of the 9th Infantry Division, deployed in Araihazar since August 2025 under the “In Aid to Civil Power” framework. The area, surrounded by the Meghna River, is described as geographically sensitive and crime-prone. Intelligence reports had indicated the presence of stolen and illegal arms and drugs.

Lieutenant Colonel Zubair, commanding officer of the 45 MLRS Regiment, said the operation is expected to significantly reduce criminal activity and that similar actions will continue to ensure security ahead of the upcoming national election.

A doctor from Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in New Delhi has been arrested for allegedly removing kidneys from at least 15 to 16 individuals under the pretext of surgery. According to a report by the Indian Express on July 9, Delhi Police detained Dr. Vijaya Kumar, a 50-year-old female physician, on charges of involvement in a kidney trafficking network operating between Bangladesh and India.

The report states that Dr. Kumar, who served as a visiting consultant and surgeon at Yatharth Hospital in Noida, performed the alleged operations between 2021 and 2023. Most of the victims were Bangladeshi citizens brought to India by intermediaries who lured them with promises of money. Delhi Police said the trafficking ring targeted poor Bangladeshis and arranged for their kidneys to be removed in hospitals around New Delhi.

Authorities previously arrested three Bangladeshi nationals linked to similar kidney trafficking networks. Organ sales for money are illegal in India, though voluntary donations remain lawful under specific conditions.

Malaysia’s former army chief Hafizuddin Zantan has been arrested along with his two wives and two other individuals on corruption charges linked to a military procurement project. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) detained them and presented them before the Putrajaya Magistrate’s Court, which approved remand orders of seven days for Hafizuddin, six days for one wife, and three days for the other. The arrests were part of an ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities in the army’s procurement process.

MACC Chief Commissioner Azam Baki confirmed the arrests and said the investigation is continuing. The agency stated its commitment to conducting the probe with transparency and professionalism. Authorities have also raided several companies since late last year and frozen six bank accounts belonging to a suspect and family members. The identity of that suspect has not been disclosed.

According to state news agency Bernama, MACC foiled an attempt to launder 2.4 million ringgit in cash related to the case. Hafizuddin had been placed on mandatory leave last December when the investigation began.

Two people were killed and at least twelve others injured when a passenger bus overturned on the Dhaka–Chattogram highway in Chandina upazila of Cumilla on Thursday night. The accident occurred around 10:45 p.m. in the Doranipara area on the Chattogram-bound lane. The bus involved was identified as a Star Line Paribahan vehicle bearing registration number Dhaka Metro-B 14-6273.

According to eyewitnesses and police, the Chattogram-bound bus lost control and overturned on the roadside, killing two passengers on the spot. The injured were rescued and taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. The identities of the deceased were not immediately known.

Eliotganj Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge Ruhul Amin confirmed the incident, stating that the cause of the accident is under investigation and necessary legal measures will be taken.

The World Bank has issued a warning to the public in Bangladesh about fraudulent activities using its name and logo. According to a press release issued on Thursday, scammers are falsely claiming to offer loans from the World Bank in exchange for fees. The organization clarified that it does not provide loans directly to individuals and never requests personal financial information.

The statement explained that fraudsters have created fake Facebook pages, false identities, and other schemes to deceive people and collect money through mobile banking. The World Bank urged anyone encountering such fraudulent activities to immediately contact local authorities. It also emphasized that it has no involvement with any such projects or loan offers made in its name.

The warning aims to raise public awareness and prevent further financial losses caused by these scams, which have recently surfaced in Bangladesh.

A Dhaka court has scheduled January 13 for the hearing of arguments in a corruption case involving former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her niece Tulip Siddiq, Azmina Siddiq, and 15 others. The case concerns alleged irregularities in the allocation of a 10-katha plot under the Purbachal New Town Project. The date was fixed by Judge Robiul Alam of Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 after a hearing on Thursday. Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) prosecutor Zahirul Islam confirmed the development, noting that the only detained accused, Mohammad Khurshid Alam, presented a defense witness, while other accused remain absconding.

The case was filed on January 13 of the previous year by ACC Assistant Director Afnan Jannat Keya against Azmina Siddiq, later including Sheikh Hasina, Tulip Siddiq, and others. Following investigation, a charge sheet against 18 individuals was submitted on March 10. All 31 prosecution witnesses have testified before the court. The accused include several officials from the Ministry of Housing and Public Works and Rajuk, as well as a former state minister.

The upcoming hearing is expected to advance the trial process, with the court set to hear final arguments from both prosecution and defense.

The Mongla Coast Guard has arrested Masum Mridha, 23, the leader of a forest robber gang, and his associate Ifaz Fakir, 25, for abducting a resort owner and two tourists in the Sundarbans. The arrests were made following intelligence surveillance in the Dhankhali area under Terokhada police station in Khulna on January 7. Acting on information provided by the detainees, the Coast Guard conducted a search near Gazi Fisheries in the Sundarbans and recovered firearms, ammunition, sharp weapons, and items belonging to the abducted victims.

According to Coast Guard media officer Lieutenant Commander Siam-ul-Haq, the abduction took place on January 2 when the victims were traveling by boat near Kanur Khal from the Golkanan Resort. The gang demanded ransom, prompting the resort authorities to inform the Coast Guard. Using intelligence, drone surveillance, and financial tracing, the Coast Guard rescued the hostages safely after a 48-hour operation. Several other gang members were also detained from different areas of the Sundarbans, Dacope, and Khulna.

Legal proceedings regarding the arrested individuals and seized evidence are currently underway, the Coast Guard confirmed.

Police in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, recovered the body of Malaysia expatriate Zahid Hossain from a remote hilly area on Thursday morning. He had gone missing after being called from his home in Hoikyang Union’s Kombonia village on January 6. Local woodcutters discovered the body in a garden belonging to a man named Nuru and informed his relatives, who later notified police and local authorities. Three suspects have been detained in connection with the killing.

According to police and local sources, Zahid Hossain, a mason by profession, was allegedly killed over a longstanding land dispute. His family members claimed that local rivals were behind the murder. Teknaf Model Police Station’s officer-in-charge Md Saiful Islam confirmed the incident and said preliminary investigation suggests the killing stemmed from the land conflict. The body was sent to Cox’s Bazar District Hospital morgue for autopsy.

Police said the detained individuals are being interrogated, and legal procedures are underway as part of the ongoing investigation.

The International Crimes Tribunal-2 has scheduled January 18 for the hearing to frame formal charges against two top leaders of the banned organization Chhatra League. The accused are its president, Saddam Hossain, and general secretary, Sheikh Wali Asif Inan, who face allegations of crimes against humanity committed during the July Revolution. The tribunal fixed the date on Thursday.

Alongside them, five others are accused in the same case, including the banned Awami League’s general secretary and former bridge minister Obaidul Quader, joint general secretary A F M Bahauddin Nasim, former state minister for information and broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat, Jubo League president Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, and general secretary Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil. The tribunal had earlier issued arrest warrants on December 18 after the prosecution filed formal charges the same day.

As the accused did not appear in court despite a newspaper notice on December 30, the tribunal appointed state defense lawyers to represent them in absentia. The prosecution, led by Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam and Gazi Tamim, read out individual charges, including three specific counts against Obaidul Quader for instruction, provocation, and incitement.

The Bangladesh Army detained a man named Billal Hossain, aged 42, from Jatarpur village in Mujibnagar upazila of Meherpur district during an early morning raid on Thursday. The operation led to the recovery of an illegal 7.65 mm pistol, a magazine, and two rounds of American-made bullets from a wardrobe in his bedroom. Billal Hossain is the son of the late Madar Ali Biswas of the same village.

According to Mujibnagar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Zahidul Islam, Billal Hossain is a known criminal accused of involvement in smuggling, money laundering, online betting, casino operations, and extortion. Legal proceedings against him are currently underway.

The arrest and recovery operation highlight ongoing law enforcement efforts in Meherpur to curb illegal arms possession and organized crime activities in the region.

The International Crimes Tribunal-2 has appointed state defense lawyers for Obaidul Quader and six other accused in a crimes against humanity case related to killings during the July Revolution. The order was issued on Thursday after the accused failed to appear before the court, leading the tribunal to consider them absconding. The tribunal also scheduled January 18 for the formal hearing on charge framing against the seven accused.

According to the tribunal proceedings, the other accused include Awami League Joint General Secretary A F M Bahauddin Nasim, former State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat, Jubo League President Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, General Secretary Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, Chhatra League President Saddam Hossain, and General Secretary Wali Asif Enan. Earlier, on December 18, the tribunal issued arrest warrants against all seven after the prosecution formally submitted charges.

During the hearing, Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam and Gazi Tamim presented separate charges for each accused. Obaidul Quader faces three specific counts—ordering, instigation, and incitement—while the others were also held responsible under related allegations.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members have arrested Md. Sakin, the prime suspect in the murder of college student Abdur Rahman Riad in Sirajganj town. The arrest was confirmed on Thursday through a press release signed by Assistant Superintendent of Police Md. Usman Gani of RAB-12. Sakin, son of Mati Sheikh from Dhanbandhi area of Sirajganj municipality, was detained on Tuesday afternoon from Alpha Zone and Company in Savar, Dhaka district.

According to the press release, on December 28, Abdur Rahman Riad was sitting inside a CNG auto-rickshaw on Mujib Road in Sirajganj when 30 to 35 unidentified youths attacked him with sharp weapons in broad daylight, killing him on the spot. Following the incident, Riad’s father, Rezaul Karim, filed a case naming Sakin as the main accused along with 11 others, and 20 to 25 unidentified youths as suspects. Sakin had been absconding since the murder until his arrest on January 7.

Authorities have not yet disclosed further details about the investigation or possible motives behind the killing.

A Dhaka court has ordered two-day remand for eight suspects arrested in connection with the attack, arson, and looting at the Prothom Alo office in Karwan Bazar. The order was issued on Thursday by Metropolitan Magistrate Md Hasan Shahadat, confirmed by state prosecutor Shamsuddoha Suman. The accused are Md Naim Islam, Md Saidur Rahman, Abul Kashem, Md Pranto Sikder, Md Raju Ahmed, Md Sagor Islam, Md Jahangir, and Md Hasan.

According to the case filed at Tejgaon Police Station, the incident occurred on December 18 when 20 to 30 unidentified attackers armed with sticks and flammable materials attempted to storm the newspaper’s office. Police said the attackers gathered illegally, chanted provocative slogans, and later vandalized, looted, and set fire to the building, causing an estimated loss of Tk 320 million. Investigators recovered Tk 50,000 in cash and items allegedly bought with looted money from one suspect.

The investigating officer stated that remand was necessary to identify other suspects, recover stolen goods, and trace those who aided the attack. Defense lawyers sought bail, which the court denied after hearing both sides.

A massive fire broke out at a jhoot (garment waste) warehouse in the Dewaliyabari area of Konabari, Gazipur Metropolitan, on Thursday afternoon, January 8, 2026. The blaze started around 4:15 p.m. at the warehouse owned by Arif Mollah and quickly spread to several nearby warehouses. Six units of the Fire Service are currently working to bring the fire under control.

According to local and fire service sources, smoke was first noticed by residents before the flames spread rapidly across adjacent warehouses. Two units from the Konabari Fire Service initially responded, followed by four additional units from the Sarabo and DBL fire stations as the fire intensified. Warehouse Inspector Saiful Islam from the Konabari Modern Fire Station confirmed that six units are engaged in firefighting, with two more on the way.

Firefighters continue efforts to contain the blaze, which has affected multiple warehouses in the industrial area. No information on casualties or damage has been reported so far.

Former Army Chief Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan will testify against retired Major General Ziaul Ahsan in an enforced disappearance case. Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam informed the two-member judicial panel of International Crimes Tribunal-1, chaired by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumdar, about this on Thursday afternoon. The tribunal has set January 14 for its order on whether to frame formal charges against Ahsan for crimes against humanity involving the abduction and killing of over a hundred people.

During Thursday’s hearing, Ahsan’s lawyers, Monsurul Haque and Naznin Nahar, sought his discharge, arguing that the prosecution failed to prove his involvement. The prosecution countered that it had established a prima facie case and requested the tribunal to begin the trial. The tribunal reserved its decision for January 14.

Earlier, on December 4, the prosecution detailed specific allegations, including multiple killings allegedly conducted under code names such as “Gestapo” and “Golf,” and operations in the Sundarbans that reportedly resulted in at least 50 deaths.