Tipu Chowdhury, a 50-year-old resident of Mirsharai in Chattogram, was shot dead by assailants in South Africa. The incident occurred on Friday, January 23, 2026, around 3 p.m. local time at his business establishment in the KwaMthlanga area of Pretoria. According to family sources, he had been living in South Africa for about 35 years. His body is currently kept at a local police station, and arrangements are underway to bring it back to Bangladesh.

Tipu’s cousin Litu Chowdhury said that the attackers opened fire suddenly while Tipu was at his business premises, killing him instantly before fleeing the scene. He also mentioned that about 20 years ago, Tipu’s brother Abu Sayem was similarly shot dead by assailants in South Africa. Another expatriate, Md. Ashraf Uddin, expressed deep sorrow over the incident, recalling personal memories with Tipu.

The report did not mention any arrests or official statements from South African authorities regarding the attack.

A final report by the commission on enforced disappearances has revealed detailed witness accounts of a secret Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) operation known as 'Golf Operation'. The report describes how detainees, blindfolded and bound, were taken to secluded locations and shot at close range, often by then Lieutenant Colonel Ziaul Ahsan, later promoted to Major General. Witnesses said Ahsan personally executed victims and instructed others to learn the method, calling hesitant members 'cowards'. The victims appeared young, weak, and had signs of prolonged detention and torture.

According to the testimonies, bodies were disposed of to erase evidence—sometimes left on railway tracks to simulate accidents, or thrown into rivers from bridges or boats, often weighted with cement bags. The report states that these killings were treated within RAB as acts of 'duty' or 'skill'. Many participants reportedly suffered severe psychological trauma afterward. The International Crimes Tribunal has begun proceedings against dismissed Major General Ziaul Ahsan for crimes against humanity involving over a hundred enforced disappearances and killings.

The testimonies depict systematic and brutal methods of execution and disposal, suggesting an organized pattern of extrajudicial killings within the force.

At least eight people were killed and two others injured in a road accident near Hyderabad, Pakistan, according to Geo News. Rescue teams reached the site and transferred the injured to a nearby hospital for treatment. The incident occurred on Saturday, and police confirmed that among the dead were five children and one woman, whose identities have not yet been released.

The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Jamshoro stated that the truck driver involved in the crash has been detained and is being questioned. A case has been filed, and police have launched an investigation into the incident. Road accidents are frequent in Pakistan, often attributed to poor road conditions, inadequate vehicle maintenance, and driver negligence.

In a separate accident on Thursday near Mellowal village in Valwal, a truck carrying animal feed overturned, killing at least four people and injuring eight others. Rescue 1122 reported that the truck lost balance and overturned, trapping several workers underneath. The exact cause of that accident remains unknown.

Several Islamic scholars remain imprisoned under death sentences in the controversial Kotalipara bomb case, which involved the alleged recovery of a 76-kilogram explosive near a rally site of Sheikh Hasina in Gopalganj in July 2000. The first charge sheet did not include their names, but after the Awami League came to power in 2009, investigators added them to the case. In 2017, a speedy trial tribunal sentenced them to death, and in 2021 the High Court upheld the verdict.

Case documents show the convictions were based on a coerced confession from Mufti Hannan, later declared legally unreliable by a higher court. Lawyers and family members claim the scholars were falsely implicated for political reasons and remain in prison without final hearings. Human rights representatives described the case as part of a broader attempt to portray Islamic leaders as extremists.

The case files were sent to the High Court in 2017, but repeated bench reorganizations have delayed hearings. As a result, the convicted scholars continue to serve long prison terms while awaiting judicial review.

At least five people were killed and ten others injured in a suicide explosion at a wedding ceremony in Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, on Friday night. Police said the blast occurred at the residence of a peace committee leader in the Qureshi Mor area. District Police Officer Sajjad Ahmed Sahibzada confirmed the explosion took place during the wedding of Noor Alam Mehsud’s family, when guests were dancing to drum beats. The intensity of the blast caused the roof to collapse, complicating rescue operations.

According to Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmed Faizi, five bodies and ten injured persons were recovered and taken to the district headquarters hospital, where an emergency was declared. Security forces cordoned off the area and launched an investigation. Preliminary information indicated that peace committee leader Wahidullah Mehsud, also known as Jigri Mehsud, was among the dead.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohel Afridi condemned the attack, ordered an immediate report from the provincial police chief, and directed that the perpetrators be swiftly identified and brought to justice. He also pledged full support for the families of the victims.

A bank officer named Subir Biswas, aged 30, died after jumping from the roof of an eight-story building in Dhaka’s Badda area on Friday, January 23. The incident occurred at his sister Nipa Barai’s residence in Ekta Society. Subir was a cash officer at Janata Bank’s Siddhirganj branch in Narayanganj. Police confirmed that they recovered his body from in front of the building after receiving a call through the national emergency number. Following legal procedures, the body was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue around 9 p.m.

According to Subir’s cousin Nirmal Barai, he had been visiting his sister’s home since January 17 or 18. The incident took place around 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Family members stated that they did not know why he took such an action. Subir was the elder of two brothers and the son of Sachin Biswas from Baungati village in Rajoir upazila of Madaripur.

Police have not yet disclosed any motive behind the incident, and the cause remains unknown.

A woman named Kaniz Surbana Swarnali, 22, reportedly killed her nine-month-old son by drowning him in water before taking her own life by hanging in Sabekdanga village of Bagerhat Sadar upazila on Friday afternoon. Police recovered both bodies and sent them to Bagerhat 250-bed District Hospital for autopsy. Swarnali was the wife of Jewel Hasan Saddam, president of Bagerhat Sadar Upazila Chhatra League, who is currently imprisoned in Jessore jail in several cases.

According to her brother Shuvo, Swarnali had been suffering from depression due to her husband’s long imprisonment. He said she deeply loved her husband and had been trying to secure his release since his arrest on August 5 following a student-public uprising. Her father, Ruhul Amin Howlader, a Jatiya Party leader, stated that the family did not wish to blame anyone and had requested to take the bodies before autopsy.

Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle) Md. Shamim Hossain said the cause of death would be confirmed after autopsy. No formal complaint had been filed as of Friday evening, and legal procedures were underway.

Two people were killed in separate incidents in Dhaka on Friday. In Shyampur, Sabuj Khan, 55, a manager at a dyeing company, died after his motorcycle was hit by a speeding pickup van while he was on his way to collect dues. He was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital around 9 a.m., where doctors declared him dead. Police said the vehicle involved has not yet been identified, and efforts are underway to trace it. His body was handed over to family members without an autopsy following a written request.

In another incident in the South Madartek area of Sabujbagh, Pintu, 35, a leguna driver, died by suicide amid ongoing family disputes. Relatives said the incident occurred around 1:30 p.m. at his rented home. Pintu, originally from Sonargaon in Narayanganj, was the youngest of four siblings and the father of one child. He was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital around 4 p.m., where doctors confirmed his death. Police said the body was kept at the hospital morgue and the local station was informed.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch (DB) has arrested another shooter in connection with the killing of volunteer leader Azizur Rahman Mushabbir in Tejgaon. The arrest took place early Friday in Narsingdi district, where the suspect, identified as Abdur Rahim, was detained along with two foreign pistols, two magazines, and 12 rounds of ammunition. DB officials said Rahim admitted during preliminary questioning to directly participating in the murder. With this arrest, a total of five suspects have now been detained in the case.

Earlier, on January 11, DB had arrested three others, including shooter Jinnat and alleged planner Billal. Investigators are currently verifying information provided by the detainees to identify the motive, financial transactions, and those who ordered the killing. According to police, the murder occurred on January 7 around 8 p.m. near Hotel Super Star in West Tejturi Para, when armed assailants on motorcycles opened fire on Mushabbir.

Mushabbir, who was the member secretary of Dhaka North Volunteer Team and joint secretary of the central committee, died after being taken to hospital. His companion, Abu Sufian Bepari Masud, was also shot and remains under treatment.

Members of RAB-13 conducted two separate raids late Thursday night based on secret information and recovered a foreign pistol and a locally made one-shooter gun in Rangpur division. The recovered weapons were handed over to the respective police stations on Friday, January 23, 2026. The operations were confirmed by Additional Superintendent of Police and Senior Assistant Director Biplob Kumar Goswami of RAB-13.

According to RAB, one team from CPC-2 Nilphamari Camp recovered an abandoned yellow shopping bag containing a foreign pistol from a bamboo grove in Balagram Union under Jaldhaka police station. In another operation the same night, a CPC-3 Gaibandha Camp team recovered a local one-shooter gun from bushes near the Gaibandha-Palashbari road in Palashbari police station area.

RAB stated that the recovered weapons were transferred to the concerned police stations for legal action and that similar intelligence-driven operations will continue to maintain law and order and curb crime in the region.

Bangladesh’s joint forces detained 278 individuals during a series of nationwide operations conducted between January 16 and 22, 2026. According to an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement released on January 23, the operations took place in Dhaka and other regions, targeting suspected criminals including terrorists, drug dealers, addicts, robbers, teenage gang members, and smugglers. Authorities recovered 22 illegal firearms, 822 rounds of ammunition, seven crude bombs, local weapons, and narcotics during the raids. The detainees were handed over to local police stations for interrogation and legal proceedings.

The ISPR statement said the Bangladesh Army continues regular patrols and security operations across the country to ensure public safety. It also noted that the army is actively managing labor unrest in industrial zones as part of its broader security responsibilities. The military emphasized that such operations will continue to maintain law and order nationwide.

A Dhaka court has ordered the imprisonment of Pabitra Kumar Barua, husband of the principal of a school in Naya Paltan, in connection with a case alleging the torture of a four-year-old child. The order was issued on Friday, January 23, 2026, by Metropolitan Magistrate Aminul Islam Junaid, who also scheduled a remand hearing for Tuesday, January 27. Barua was arrested earlier that morning from Mirpur-6 and presented before the court, where police sought a five-day remand for further questioning.

According to the case filed by the child’s mother, the incident occurred on January 18 at Sharmin Academy, where her son had recently been enrolled. CCTV footage reportedly showed the school principal, Sharmin Jahan, physically assaulting the child, while her husband allegedly joined in the abuse. The child later complained of pain and was treated at a hospital. Police said preliminary interrogation confirmed the incident’s authenticity and that further investigation is ongoing.

The court’s decision marks the beginning of judicial proceedings under Section 70 of the Children Act, with remand hearings expected to determine the next steps in the investigation.

Police in Mymensingh’s Haluaghat arrested a 28-year-old man named Liyon on Friday after he allegedly attacked and seriously injured a police constable with a sharp weapon. Liyon is the son of Md. Ruhul Amin, convener of the Haluaghat unit of the Swechchhasebak Dal. The arrest took place in the Haluaghat market area, and police also seized the motorcycle used during the incident.

According to police and case sources, the attack occurred around 3:30 a.m. on Friday near the Pagolpara Bridge in Haluaghat municipal market. A police team led by ASI Nowab Ali was conducting a regular checkpoint when they signaled a motorcycle without a number plate to stop. The rider, Liyon, argued with police, identified himself as the son of the local Swechchhasebak Dal leader, threatened officers, and left. Later, when police visited his home to inform his father, Liyon allegedly attacked them with a machete, injuring constable Md. Izaul Haque Bhuiyan.

Police said Liyon is also known as a political worker of BNP Joint Secretary General Syed Emran Saleh Prince, who urged strict legal action against the attacker. Authorities are interrogating Liyon’s father and investigating all aspects of the case.

Two CCTV cameras installed by the Election Commission at the Chhoto Falia Secondary School polling center in Magura municipality were vandalized on Thursday. According to local sources, an unidentified person struck one of the cameras with a bamboo stick, breaking it. The cameras had been set up to cover nearby roads and the school playground. Although the incident was captured on CCTV footage, poor lighting prevented clear identification of the perpetrator.

The school’s head teacher, Mizanur Rahman, confirmed that both cameras were damaged by miscreants and said a written complaint was filed at Magura Sadar Police Station against unidentified individuals. Officer-in-Charge Ashiqur Rahman stated that police have visited the scene, reviewed the footage, and are continuing efforts to identify those responsible. Legal proceedings are underway, but no arrests have been made so far.

Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the identity of the vandal and ensure accountability for the damage to the election monitoring equipment.

Police in Cumilla have arrested Assistant Government Pleader (AGP) Masudul Haque alias Masum, brother of a local Jamaat-e-Islami leader, along with another man named Ariful Islam. The arrests took place after a foreign pistol, two magazines, and ten rounds of ammunition were recovered. The operation was confirmed by Inspector Saiful Islam of the EPZ police outpost under Cumilla Sadar South Model Police Station, who said a case under the Arms Act has been filed and both men were sent to court.

According to police, Ariful was first detained early Thursday at a checkpoint in the Tomchom Bridge area with five bullets and a knife. A photo on his phone showed a pistol, which he said belonged to Masum. Based on this information, police searched Masum’s home and recovered the weapon and ammunition. Cumilla Jamaat Secretary Mahbubur Rahman claimed the incident appeared staged, saying Masum was not politically active though he is the younger brother of city Jamaat’s Naib-e-Ameer Emdadul Haque Mamun.

Public Prosecutor Kaimul Haque Rinku said the ministry had been informed and legal action would follow once official instructions arrive.