Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) recovered a 120-kilogram ancient stone idol from Alfadanga in Faridpur on Sunday afternoon. Acting on a tip-off, a team from RAB-10 Faridpur CPC-3 camp conducted an operation at Buraiich village and found the idol behind the pond of Akbar Sheikh’s house. During the operation, RAB detained Akbar Sheikh’s younger son, Saddam Sheikh, aged 34.

Following the recovery, RAB filed a case with Alfadanga Police Station. The station’s Officer-in-Charge, Abul Hasnat, confirmed that RAB handed over the arrested person and the idol to local police. He added that the suspect would be presented before the court after completion of legal procedures.

The recovered idol is believed to be around a hundred years old, and authorities are proceeding with legal actions regarding its possession and recovery.

Police in Faridpur upazila of Pabna recovered the body of 13-year-old schoolgirl Suraiya Khatun from a pond in Bilnolua village on Sunday, January 18, 2026, five days after she went missing. Her hands, feet, and mouth were found tied when the body was discovered by local farmers. Suraiya, daughter of Swapan Khan of Jontihar village under BLbari Union, was an eighth-grade student at Jontihar Adarsha High School.

According to police and family sources, Suraiya went missing from in front of her home on January 13. After extensive searches failed, her grandfather Abdul Jabbar Khan filed a general diary with Faridpur Police Station on January 16. Two days later, locals found the body floating in the pond and informed the family, who identified it before police retrieved it and sent it for autopsy.

Faridpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Shamim Aknji confirmed the recovery and said the body was sent to Pabna Hospital morgue for post-mortem. He added that police are investigating the case seriously to identify and arrest those involved.

In Dhanbari upazila of Tangail, unidentified vandals cut down more than 400 banana bunches from a farmer’s orchard on the night of January 16, 2026. The attack, which took place in Jodunathpur’s Pathlachara area, caused losses exceeding four lakh taka for farmer Delwar Hossain, who had leased 30 decimals of land with a loan of 60,000 taka to cultivate bananas. He said the vandals partially cut some bunches and stole others, leaving him financially devastated.

Local farmers, including Liton Mia, Jahangir, Jahurul, and Tota Mia, condemned the act and urged authorities to identify and punish those responsible. NCP’s Tangail district organizing secretary Humayun Kabir described the incident as tragic and called for government assistance for the affected farmer, noting that such attacks harm both individuals and the national economy. Union Parishad member Shahjahan Ali also demanded swift legal action and state support for Delwar.

Dhanbari Upazila Agriculture Officer Masudur Rahman Masud confirmed the incident and said necessary measures would be taken to assist the affected farmer.

A bus carrying students of Gonoshasthaya Medical College met with an accident in Brindaban area of Telihati Union, Sreepur upazila of Gazipur on January 18, 2026. The assistant driver lost one of his hands in the crash, and at least ten students were injured. The injured were rescued and taken to local hospitals, with several later transferred for advanced treatment. The bus was transporting 103 students from the college’s 27th MBBS batch to a training program in Sreepur when it lost control and overturned.

Following the accident, students expressed anger, alleging that each had paid 20,000 taka for transportation and accommodation but were provided with an old, poorly maintained bus. Some students claimed the driver was under the influence of drugs and drove recklessly, questioning why teachers on board had not checked the driver’s condition or the vehicle’s safety beforehand. Local residents, police, and administration joined the rescue and vehicle removal efforts.

The Gonoshasthaya Medical College authorities have not issued an official statement. Students demanded a proper investigation and accountability for the driver and responsible officials.

A Tangail court has sentenced Rezaur Rahman Dulu to life imprisonment and fined him 10,000 taka for murdering his mother-in-law in Madhupur nearly 20 years ago. The verdict was delivered on Sunday, January 18, 2026, by Judge Dilara Alo Chandana of the Tangail Special Judge (District and Sessions Judge) Court.

According to the prosecution, on September 27, 2006, Dulu went to his wife Nurunnahar’s home intending to kill her following a family dispute. When his mother-in-law tried to intervene, he attacked her with a local weapon, killing her on the spot. Nurunnahar was injured and later admitted to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, while her mother was declared dead at Kaliyakur Hospital in Madhupur.

After nearly two decades of judicial proceedings, the court’s verdict brought satisfaction to the plaintiff’s side, marking the conclusion of a long-running murder case in Tangail.

A woman named Rehena Akter, mother of July fighter and Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leader Yasin Arfat Choton, was killed in an attack allegedly led by a local Sramik League leader in Ramu, Cox’s Bazar. The incident occurred around 10 a.m. on Sunday, January 18, 2026, in Khedarghona area of Khuniapalong Union’s Ward No. 1. According to local sources, the attack stemmed from a land dispute. The assailants, led by Zaher Alam Kalu, son of Faridul Alam and president of the Sramik League’s Ward No. 1 unit, reportedly attacked Choton’s home with sharp weapons. Rehena Akter was injured and died on the way to the hospital.

Ramu Police Station Officer-in-Charge Monirul Islam Bhuiyan stated that a long-standing land conflict existed between the two parties. On the morning of the incident, Kalu went to the disputed land, leading to an argument. During the altercation, Kalu allegedly struck Rehena Begum on the head with a spade. Police confirmed that legal proceedings are underway regarding the case.

The report identifies Zaher Alam Kalu as the president of the Sramik League’s Khuniapalong Union Ward No. 1 unit.

Power generation at the 525-megawatt Barapukuria coal-based thermal power plant in Parbatipur, Dinajpur, has been completely shut down due to mechanical failures. The shutdown has caused load-shedding across Dinajpur and nearby areas. The plant’s first unit, with a capacity of 125 megawatts, stopped production on Sunday morning after its boiler tube burst. The chief engineer, Md. Abu Bakar Siddique, said repairs would begin once the boiler cools, but it is uncertain when production will resume.

The plant’s second unit, also 125 megawatts, has been inactive since November 2020, while the third unit, with 275 megawatts capacity, has been offline since November last year due to mechanical issues. The Barapukuria plant, operated by the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), relies on coal from the Barapukuria mine. The third unit, managed by Chinese contractor Harbin International, awaits spare parts from China for repair. The engineer expects it may return to production by March, though delays persist as the contractor cites increased equipment costs.

The prolonged outage underscores the aging condition of the plant’s infrastructure and its dependence on foreign parts for maintenance.

Bangladesh’s interim government is awaiting China’s approval to begin implementing the Teesta Master Plan, a major initiative aimed at boosting economic growth and water resource management in the country’s northern region. According to Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, all required documents have been sent to the Chinese government, and final discussions on financing have been completed. She made the remarks on Sunday afternoon during a voter awareness meeting in Nilphamari.

Hasan stated that a team of Chinese experts is currently reviewing the technical, financial, and implementation frameworks of the project. Once the evaluation is complete and China gives its final consent, work on what is described as the country’s largest development project will officially begin. She added that the plan’s implementation would bring positive changes to agriculture, irrigation, flood control, and environmental balance in the northern region, fulfilling a long-standing expectation of local residents.

The event was chaired by Nilphamari Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Nayiruzzaman and attended by officials from the Rangpur divisional administration. The nationwide campaign was organized with support from several ministries.

The International Crimes Tribunal-2 has scheduled January 22 for delivering an order on charge framing against seven accused, including two top leaders of the banned organization Chhatra League, in a case over killings during the July Revolution. The accused include Chhatra League president Saddam Hossain and general secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Inan. The three-member panel, led by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, fixed the date after hearing both prosecution and defense arguments.

According to the source, the prosecution, represented by Mizanul Islam and Gazi M.H. Tamim, argued for formal charges and trial initiation, citing individual responsibility of the accused. Defense lawyers Lokman Hawlader and Ishrat Jahan claimed their clients were not involved and sought discharge due to lack of evidence. The tribunal had earlier issued arrest warrants after the accused failed to appear on January 8 and were later deemed absconding.

The prosecution had submitted formal charges on December 18, leading the tribunal to accept the allegations and issue warrants. Law enforcement agencies reported being unable to locate the accused at their listed addresses, prompting a public notice on December 30.

In Jessore’s Sharsha upazila, road construction work in Jirengacha village was allegedly halted and bricks removed after a contractor refused to pay extortion money. The incident occurred on Friday night in Ulashi Union. Contractor Nasir Uddin of Sarun & Safa Traders said work on a 73-meter road, costing about 350,000 taka, began on January 15. Local resident Arman Hossain, known as Dablue, allegedly demanded money and stopped the work when refused. The contractor reported that workers were forced to leave, and the next morning he found part of the road’s bricks removed. He is preparing a written complaint to the upazila administration.

Local residents claimed a group led by Dablue has long intimidated villagers in Jirengacha, Kashiadanga, and Matipukuria, controlling local activities through threats and extortion. Residents also alleged that the group interferes in social and religious events. Dablue denied all allegations, saying he was being targeted over a local dispute. Police confirmed multiple cases against him under various laws but said no written complaint had yet been filed regarding this incident.

Authorities stated that an investigation and legal action will follow once a formal complaint is received.

A day laborer named Rezaul Karim, 38, died from electrocution on Sunday morning while assisting in the reinstallation of an electricity transformer in Chaubila village under Salonga Union of Raiganj upazila, Sirajganj. He was working with a lineman named Atik when the accident occurred around 11 a.m. Karim, son of the late Omar Ali Sheikh of Charia Ujir Shaopara village, had long been employed as a tree-cutting worker for the local Palli Bidyut office.

According to police and local sources, the team assumed the power line was disconnected before starting work. However, an adjacent line remained live, and Karim was fatally electrocuted upon contact. His coworkers later disconnected the power and, with local help, brought down his body. Police visited the scene, granted permission for burial, and recorded an unnatural death (UD) case at Salonga Police Station.

Local residents have raised questions about how a tree-cutting laborer was assigned to transformer installation work, as attempts to contact the Salonga Palli Bidyut zonal office and its acting AGM went unanswered.

Bangladesh Bank has decided to withhold profits for 2024 and 2025 from depositors of five Islamic banks currently undergoing a merger process. The affected banks are First Security Islami Bank, Global Islami Bank, Union Bank, EXIM Bank, and Social Islami Bank, which are being consolidated into a new entity named Sammilit Islami Bank. The central bank announced the decision last Wednesday, stating that depositors will not receive profits for the two years, and any previously withdrawn profits will be deducted from their accounts.

The decision has sparked widespread anger among depositors, leading to disruptions in normal banking operations at some branches and a human chain protest in Dhaka’s Gulshan area. Depositors argued that they should not bear the burden of bank mismanagement and demanded full repayment of their deposits and due profits. Bank officials requested the central bank to reconsider, but the governor reaffirmed that the decision, based on Shariah principles, would not be reversed.

According to Bangladesh Bank sources, withholding two years of profits will reduce liabilities by about Tk 10,000 crore, lowering total deposits from Tk 1.31 trillion to an estimated Tk 1.21 trillion across the five banks, which currently serve around 7.5 million depositors.

Engineers from Rosatom have confirmed that fuel loading for Unit-1 of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Pabna is expected to take place by the end of February 2026. The announcement follows a recent inspection visit by Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed, adviser to the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Finance, who reviewed the project’s progress and met with officials and engineers at the site.

During the visit, Dr. Ahmed praised the dedication of the workforce and expressed optimism that the Rooppur plant, Bangladesh’s first nuclear power facility, will play a transformative role in the national energy sector. The project aims to meet the country’s growing electricity demand while strengthening energy security and advancing sustainable development goals.

According to project engineers, approximately 350 megawatts of electricity from Unit-1 could be supplied to the national grid by the end of March 2026, with full generation capacity expected to reach about 1,150 megawatts once operations stabilize.

On Sunday, the first trading day of the week, the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) recorded its highest index rise of the year. The DSEX, the main index, gained 76 points or 1.53 percent, closing at 5,035 points and crossing the 5,000 mark again. This was the highest level in two and a half months, last seen on November 3 when the index stood at 5,061 points. The DSE-30 and DSE Shariah indices also rose by about 1.5 percent each.

Trading volume increased significantly, with transactions totaling Tk 474 crore compared to Tk 379.8 crore on the previous trading day, marking an increase of about Tk 95 crore. Out of 389 traded issues, prices rose for 290, fell for 42, and remained unchanged for 57. Leasing companies under liquidation led the gains, with People’s Leasing, Premier Leasing, Prime Finance, Bangladesh Industrial Finance, and Fareast Finance each rising over 10 percent. International Leasing’s share price rose 9.75 percent.

The DSE also adjusted its indices, adding nine new companies and removing sixteen from the main index. Three companies were added and three removed from the DSE-30 index, with the changes confirmed as effective by the DSE’s public relations department.

The Ministry of Commerce has recommended withdrawing the bonded warehouse facility for importing 10 to 30 count yarn used in export-oriented garment manufacturing. A letter signed on January 12, 2026, from the ministry’s WTO Cell-2 instructed the National Board of Revenue to take necessary action. The move follows recommendations from the Bangladesh Tariff Commission and the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association to safeguard domestic spinning mills, promote employment, and strengthen local value addition ahead of Bangladesh’s graduation from least developed country (LDC) status.

According to the ministry, bonded imports under HS headings 52.05, 52.06, and 52.07 have surged in recent years, particularly from India, rising from 351,000 tons in 2022–23 to 697,000 tons in 2024–25. The ministry noted that duty-free or low-duty yarn imports are being sold at lower prices, undermining local mills that are operating at only 60% capacity. Around 50 spinning mills have already closed, and many others face losses.

The ministry believes ending the facility will restore balance in the spinning sector, boost domestic production, and help Bangladesh meet local value addition requirements in global trade after LDC graduation.