A Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) officer was beaten to death and three others were seriously injured during an operation in the remote jungle area of Chhalimpur in Sitakunda, Chattogram. The incident occurred when RAB members raided the area based on intelligence that a top local criminal, Yasin, and his associates were present near a BNP office. The attackers captured four RAB members, assaulted them, and transported them to Alinagar, where they were beaten repeatedly. One officer, Abdul Motaleb, later died in hospital, while three others remain injured.

BNP leaders denied having any office or activities in Chhalimpur and rejected any involvement in the killing. Local residents said the building previously served as an Awami League office before being taken over by expelled BNP youth leader Rokon Uddin, and later by Yasin’s group. The area has long been a haven for armed groups, with multiple deadly clashes over territorial control.

Authorities announced plans for a large-scale joint operation involving RAB, police, army, and other agencies to dismantle criminal strongholds, recover government land, and bring those responsible for the officer’s killing to justice.

A dramatic escape by murder suspect Nahid Hasan Liton from Pirgacha police custody in Rangpur has caused widespread commotion across the upazila. Liton, the organizational secretary of Rangpur District Jubo League and son of Pirgacha Upazila Awami League vice-president Abdul Hannan, was arrested Tuesday evening during a special police operation at his home in connection with the Shahid Abu Sayed murder case. Witnesses claimed he was handcuffed after arrest, but fled during a scuffle between police and several women, allegedly leaving the scene unclothed and still wearing handcuffs.

Local sources said a youth leader assured police of recovering the handcuffs. A couple who witnessed the incident reported that one woman bit a police officer’s hand, allowing Liton to escape. Pirgacha Police Officer-in-Charge AKM Khandaker Mohibbul Islam confirmed the escape but denied that Liton was handcuffed at the time, calling such claims baseless.

The incident has raised local concerns about possible police negligence and the broader implications for law and order in the area.

In Ukhiya upazila of Cox’s Bazar, allegations have surfaced that a group is continuing the construction of a multi-storey building despite a court injunction. The dispute centers on land in East Taipalong under Rajapalong Union, where Shahina Akter, wife of expatriate Mohammad Sharif, claims her purchased property has been forcibly occupied by several influential locals. Residents fear that the escalating tension could lead to violent clashes if authorities fail to act promptly.

According to the report, Shahina Akter filed a case on December 20, after which the Cox’s Bazar District Court imposed Section 144 on December 24, prohibiting all construction on the disputed land. Police sub-inspector Suman Dey visited the site and instructed both parties to comply with the order, but construction allegedly continued. Shahina Akter accused the police of bias and expressed concern for her family’s safety.

The accused, Shah Newaz Begum alias Paki, claimed the land is ancestral property and that they continued work based on advice from police and lawyers. The investigating officer confirmed that a report has been submitted to the court, with a hearing scheduled for January 21. Locals have urged immediate enforcement of the court order to prevent potential violence.

An investigation has uncovered a long-running question leak operation involving the political science department’s final exams at the seven government colleges affiliated with Dhaka University. According to the report, a group led by Dhaka College office assistant and former student Ilias Hossain allegedly sold exam questions from honors to master’s level three to four days before exams in exchange for money. Sources claim most students were involved, paying between 1,500 and 2,500 taka per set, while each college session contributed around 150,000 taka. Evidence reportedly includes matching leaked and official exam papers.

Unnamed students said they were sworn to secrecy before receiving the questions and that leaked questions consistently appeared in exams. They expressed frustration that the leaks undermined merit and fairness. Ilias Hossain denied all allegations, calling them false and claiming question similarities resulted from recurring syllabus patterns.

Dhaka College’s political science department head said he was unaware of the issue but promised dismissal if proven true. Dhaka University’s exam controller stated no official complaint had reached him but assured that any verified report would lead to an investigation and disciplinary action.

Two men were killed in a violent clash stemming from a land dispute in Jashore on Tuesday afternoon. The incident occurred in front of Salua College in Chowgacha upazila. Police confirmed the deaths, identifying the victims as Rafiqul Islam, 45, and Abdul Alim Palash, 35, both residents of Jagahati village under Churamankati union in Jashore Sadar. According to police, Rafiqul was attacked with a sharp weapon by Palash, leaving him critically injured.

Local sources said the two men had been in conflict over land ownership for the past two years. Following the attack, an enraged crowd surrounded Palash and beat him severely. Police from Kotwali station arrived at the scene and took both injured men to Jashore General Hospital, where doctors declared Palash dead upon arrival.

Police later reported that Rafiqul died on the way to Dhaka while being transferred for advanced treatment. Authorities confirmed that both deaths were linked to the same land dispute incident.

The International Crimes Tribunal-2, led by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, has concluded final arguments in the case concerning the burning of six bodies in Ashulia during the July uprising. The tribunal has now kept the verdict pending. Defense arguments were presented over the past two days, following prosecution arguments on January 14 and 15. A total of 24 witnesses testified in the case.

Sixteen individuals were charged, including eight currently in custody such as former Dhaka Additional Superintendent of Police Abdullahil Kafi and several former police officers from Savar and Ashulia. The remaining eight, including former Member of Parliament Muhammad Saiful Islam, remain absconding. According to the prosecution, the incident occurred on August 5, 2024, when five people were shot dead and one critically injured in front of Ashulia Police Station. The injured man and the bodies were later placed in a police vehicle that was set on fire, killing all six.

The tribunal had earlier framed charges on August 21, 2025, and began witness hearings after the prosecution’s opening statement on September 14, 2025. The verdict will be delivered after judicial deliberation.

The Director General of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), AKM Shahidur Rahman, announced that a large-scale joint forces operation will soon be launched to destroy the militant hideout in Jungle Salimpur, Sitakunda, Chattogram. He said preparations are underway to involve the army, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Armed Police Battalion (APBn), police, and the district administration. The operation aims to arrest armed militants, recover government land, and ensure justice for slain RAB member Abdul Motaleb.

Rahman made the announcement on Tuesday during a media briefing at the RAB office in Patenga after Motaleb’s funeral. The RAB chief said Motaleb was killed in a sudden attack by militants on Monday afternoon. He pledged to continue surveillance in Jungle Salimpur until justice is served and to correct any operational mistakes. A RAB investigation committee has been formed, and the armed suspects have been identified.

Police officials said a case is being processed, but no arrests have been made yet. The area remains under the control of a top local criminal, according to police sources.

Three bodies of fishermen who went missing ten days ago after a motorized boat sank in the Meghna River have been recovered in Barishal. According to river police, the bodies were found on Tuesday morning and afternoon in the Hizla and Mehendiganj areas. The deceased were identified as Shahin Mir, 20, Nayon Bepari, 19, and Arif Sikder, 19. Their bodies were handed over to their families without autopsy as no complaints were filed.

Police said the incident occurred on January 10 when five young fishermen from Hizla went fishing near the Lal Buoy area of the Meghna River. After casting their nets, they fell asleep in the boat, which later sank as water entered through the engine propeller. Two of them managed to swim ashore and were rescued, but the others went missing in dense fog. One fisherman, Shahin Sikder, 18, remains missing, and his relatives continue to search the river.

Authorities have not reported any further developments regarding the missing fisherman’s search.

Police in Natore’s Naldanga upazila arrested a Youth Dal activist on Monday for allegedly stealing cash during a Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) goods distribution at Madhnagar Union Parishad. The suspect, identified as Rumman Sardar, 35, was detained from Purba Madhnagar village with 181,050 taka in cash, which police said was part of the stolen amount of nearly 200,000 taka. The theft occurred when dealer Mizanur Rahman left the distribution site briefly for prayers.

According to police, Rumman Sardar is a resident of Purba Madhnagar and known locally as a Youth Dal activist. He is the son of Md. Lokman Hossain Bhulu, president of the BNP’s Ward No. 5 unit in Madhnagar Union. Bhulu told reporters that his son was addicted to drugs and expressed shock over the incident, adding that anyone committing a crime must face legal consequences.

Naldanga Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md. Nure Alam said the suspect is in custody and legal proceedings are underway. Authorities added that further action will be taken if others are found involved after investigation.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has arrested Syed Sohanur Rahman Siam, son of former Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) driver Syed Abed Ali Jibon, on charges of acquiring illegal wealth worth about Tk 3.25 crore. The arrest was confirmed on Tuesday by ACC’s public relations officer Md. Akterul Islam.

Siam, also known as a former relief and disaster management secretary of the banned Dhaka North unit of Chhatra League, had previously been expelled from the organization after his name surfaced in a question paper leak scandal. On January 5, 2025, the ACC filed three separate cases against Jibon, his wife Shahreen Akter Shilpi, and their son Siam, accusing them of possessing Tk 5.37 crore in illegal assets and conducting suspicious transactions totaling around Tk 45 crore.

Siam’s arrest marks the latest development in the ongoing investigation into the family’s alleged corruption and financial irregularities, as authorities continue to pursue the cases filed last year.

Police in Khulna arrested three young men on Monday afternoon from the residence of S M Shafiqul Islam, president of Koyra Upazila Jubo League and former upazila chairman, following allegations of extortion. The suspects, identified as Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Al Nahian, and Miraz Gazi, allegedly introduced themselves as student coordinators and leaders of the NCP. The arrest took place at Shafiqul Islam’s house on Nesar Uddin Road under Sonadanga Police Station. His daughter, Shahnaz Parvin, filed a case accusing the men of demanding 2.5 million taka and threatening to hand her father over to police if the demand was not met.

Sonadanga Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Rafiqul Islam confirmed the arrests and said the accused were sent to jail through the court. He also noted that Shafiqul Islam faces multiple cases but is currently out on bail. NCP district coordinator Maulana Mahmudul Hasan Faizullah stated that the detained individuals are not affiliated with any NCP or anti-discrimination student movement committees and called for lawful action if the allegations prove true.

The incident has raised questions about why police have not acted against Shafiqul Islam despite his pending cases, as noted by the NCP coordinator.

Police in Debidwar, Cumilla recovered the hanging body of a college student from a beauty parlor on Tuesday. The deceased, identified as Nadia Akter, was employed as a beautician at the Women’s Persona Parlor located near the Upazila Gate area. She was the daughter of Shafiqul Islam from Dholahas village and a first-year student at Jafarganj Mir Abdul Gafur College.

According to police, they arrived at the scene after receiving information and found Nadia’s body hanging inside the parlor. While initial observations suggest suicide, authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of death. Debidwar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Moniruzzaman stated that an unnatural death case has been filed in connection with the incident.

The body has been sent to Cumilla Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy as part of the ongoing investigation.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has been granted an additional five days to submit its report in the murder case of Inquilab Moncho convener Shahid Sharif Osman Hadi. On Tuesday, January 20, 2026, Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam directed the CID to file the report by January 25. The court had earlier set January 20 as the deadline, but the CID failed to submit the report on that date, prompting the extension. The information was confirmed by prosecution officer SI Ruknuzzaman.

The case involves the killing of Hadi, who was shot on December 12 in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area while returning from a campaign event. He later died on December 18 in Singapore after being transferred there for treatment. The Detective Branch (DB) police had previously submitted a charge sheet on January 6, accusing 17 individuals, including former ward councillor Taizul Islam Chowdhury Bappi and former Chhatra League activist Faisal Karim Masud. Dissatisfied with the DB’s report, the plaintiff Abdullah Al Jaber filed a petition, leading the court to assign the investigation to the CID.

Five of the accused, including Faisal Karim, remain absconding, according to the case documents.

A Dhaka court has ordered the seizure of land worth Tk 1.75 crore belonging to Jahangir Alam, former personal assistant to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The same order also froze Tk 1.03 crore held in seven bank accounts under the name of his wife, Kamrun Nahar. The directive was issued on Tuesday by Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Sabbir Foyez, following petitions from Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Assistant Director Piyas Pal.

According to the ACC petitions, there was a risk that Jahangir Alam might transfer or change ownership of his immovable assets, and that Kamrun Nahar’s bank funds could be moved. The ACC argued that freezing and seizing these assets were necessary to ensure a fair investigation. After hearing the petitions, the court granted both requests.

Earlier, on December 17 of the previous year, the ACC filed a case against Jahangir Alam and Kamrun Nahar, accusing them of acquiring wealth beyond known income sources. The case alleged that Kamrun Nahar possessed Tk 6.80 crore in unexplained assets, while Jahangir Alam had Tk 18.29 crore in illegally obtained property.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a case against Jatiya Party leader and former state minister Md Moshiur Rahman Ranga and former Kurigram MP Ponir Uddin Ahmed. The case, lodged on January 19, 2026, accuses them of embezzling Tk 1.7 crore through nomination trading. According to ACC Director General Md Akhter Hossain, Ranga allegedly accepted the money as a bribe while serving as a member of parliament and presidium member of the Jatiya Party, in exchange for facilitating Ahmed’s participation in the 12th parliamentary election.

The ACC stated that the two acted in collusion to gain illegal benefits by transferring, converting, and transacting the funds, which constitutes punishable offenses under sections 161, 165, and 109 of the Penal Code, section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947, and sections 4(2) and 4(3) of the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012. Additionally, the commission has issued a notice under section 26(1) of the ACC Act, 2004, requiring Ranga to submit a statement of his assets for verification.

The ACC’s move marks a continuation of its scrutiny of political figures accused of corruption and illicit financial dealings.