Two associates of the prime accused in the murder of Inqilab Manch spokesman Shahid Sharif Osman Hadi have confessed their involvement before a Dhaka court. On Thursday, January 1, Metropolitan Magistrate Jamshed Alam recorded the confessional statements of Sanjay Chisim and Md. Faisal after they were produced in court. The investigating officer, DB Police Inspector Faisal Ahmed, had applied to record their statements, after which the court sent both to jail.

Earlier, the Rapid Action Battalion recovered the weapon used in the attempted murder from Tarua Beel in Narsingdi district and arrested Faisal, who is a friend of the main accused Faisal Karim Masud’s brother-in-law. The case was initially filed as an attempted murder case on December 14 by Abdullah Al Jaber, member secretary of Inqilab Manch, and later upgraded under Section 302. So far, ten people have been arrested in connection with the case.

Among the arrested, six others have already confessed, while the main accused Faisal Karim Masud has been barred by the court from leaving the country.

A Dhaka court has ordered the seizure of a multi-storey building and land in Gulshan owned by Afroza Begum, wife of Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, following corruption allegations. The Metropolitan Senior Special Judge’s Court, presided over by Acting Judge Md. Alamgir, issued the order on Thursday, January 1, in response to a petition from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). The order also includes the confiscation of 3.377 acres of land in the Vatara area of Dhaka.

According to court information, ACC Deputy Director Md. Jahangir Alam filed the petition seeking the seizure, citing money laundering allegations against Sobhan and his associates. A ten-member investigation team has been formed to probe the allegations. Investigators reportedly found evidence suggesting that Sobhan and his family members own substantial illegal assets both in Bangladesh and abroad.

The court noted that Afroza Begum was attempting to transfer ownership of her immovable properties, which could undermine the ongoing investigation and potential legal proceedings. The seizure was therefore deemed necessary to ensure fair investigation and justice.

The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) seized Indian cattle and a large quantity of Eskaf syrup during special operations in Lalmonirhat’s border areas under the 15 BGB Battalion. The operations took place early Thursday near the Durgaipur and Burirhat Border Outposts (BOPs). Around 3:40 a.m., smugglers attempted to enter Bangladesh with cattle through the Chowratari area but fled when challenged by a BGB patrol, leaving behind three Indian cows. Another patrol at 3:30 a.m. in Khamarbhati area recovered 170 bottles of Indian Eskaf syrup after smugglers abandoned their goods and escaped toward India.

According to the 15 BGB Battalion, a total of six Indian cows worth approximately Tk 660,000 and 170 bottles of Eskaf syrup valued at Tk 68,000 were seized, with a combined estimated value of Tk 728,000. The identification of the smugglers and legal proceedings against them are ongoing.

Lieutenant Colonel Mehedi Imam, commanding officer of the 15 BGB Battalion, stated that BGB remains vigilant to keep the youth free from drugs and has intensified intelligence surveillance and patrols in sensitive border areas to prevent smuggling and drug trafficking.

A woman named Tapasi Rani Das, aged 42, was killed by her cousin in Kutubdia upazila of Cox’s Bazar on Thursday morning. The incident occurred around 11 a.m. at Ali Akbar Deil Kumirachhara fishing village, where the accused, identified as Kali Charan, allegedly attacked her with a machete. Locals rescued Tapasi and took her to the upazila health complex, where doctors declared her dead. Police later detained Kali Charan while he was attempting to flee through the Baraghop Steamer Ghat area.

According to Tapasi’s brother, the attack took place after a quarrel over a minor issue while her husband was away fishing. Dr. Biplob Kanti Rudra, who examined the body, reported at least four stab wounds. Officer-in-Charge Md. Mahbubul Haque said the body was sent to the district hospital for autopsy and that initial investigation suggests the dispute stemmed from a loan-related argument.

Police are currently interrogating the detained suspect to determine further details surrounding the killing.

A 25-year-old man named Raihan Khan was killed in a mob beating early Thursday in the Nagbari area of Fatullah, Narayanganj. Police from Fatullah Model Station recovered the body and sent it to Narayanganj General Hospital morgue for autopsy. Raihan, son of the late Billal Khan from Baharia Bazar in Chandpur, had been living as a tenant in Tatipara, Narayanganj.

According to local sources, Raihan had long been involved in drug dealing and mugging in the area, with multiple complaints filed against him at Fatullah Model Police Station. Preliminary reports suggest he may have been attacked following a dispute over the division of money from a robbery. Police officials stated that Raihan was a known mugger with several cases of murder and robbery against him.

Fatullah police said Raihan died after being beaten by locals when he allegedly attempted another robbery early Thursday. Investigators have begun inquiries to determine the full circumstances surrounding his death.

A government investigation committee has concluded that two bearing pads which fell from a metro rail pillar in Dhaka’s Farmgate area were defective. The findings were disclosed on Thursday at a briefing held at the Secretariat’s Road Transport and Highways Division conference room, attended by adviser Muhammad Faozul Kabir Khan from the power, energy, transport, and rail ministries. The committee stated that out of ten technical parameters, two did not meet expected standards, though this did not mean all components were faulty. No evidence of sabotage was found.

The incidents occurred on September 18 and October 26, 2024. The first caused an 11-hour suspension of metro service but no casualties. The second, involving an 80-kilogram pad, resulted in the death of a young man and led to another shutdown. Following the fatal accident, the government formed the investigation committee to determine the cause.

The committee’s findings suggest that technical flaws, not deliberate actions, were responsible for the accidents, though further evaluation of all components may be necessary.

A Dhaka court has ordered the freezing of 28 bank accounts and two BO accounts belonging to former Dhaka Metropolitan Police Joint Commissioner Biplob Kumar Sarkar and his wife Hosneara Begum. The order was issued on Thursday by Acting Judge Md. Alamgir of the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court following a petition from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Court bench assistant Md. Riaz Hossain confirmed the directive, while ACC Assistant Director Russel Rony filed the petition.

According to the petition, an investigation is underway against Biplob Kumar Sarkar and others for allegedly acquiring wealth beyond known income sources through bribery and corruption while in government service. The ACC alleged that the couple attempted to transfer or conceal funds from their accounts, which could hinder future recovery efforts. The freeze was imposed under Rule 18 of the ACC Rules 2007 and Section 14 of the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2012.

Earlier, on December 9, the court had barred Biplob Kumar Sarkar, his wife, his brother Pronoy Kumar Sarkar, and Hosneara Begum’s sister Shahanara Begum from leaving the country.

Police in Madan upazila of Netrakona have arrested two teenagers in connection with the throat-slitting murder of school student Shawon. The arrests were confirmed on Thursday by Madan Police Station Officer-in-Charge Hasnat Zaman. The detainees include Mahfuz, 17, a tenth-grade student of Jahangirpur Tahura Amin Government Pilot High School, and Kayes, another teenager from Changao Chakpara village. Mahfuz’s 13-year-old sister, Mahfuza Akter Eva, was also detained for questioning but later released.

According to police, the victim’s family, and local residents, Shawon and Mahfuz were classmates and friends. Shawon allegedly tried to develop a romantic relationship with Mahfuz’s sister, which angered Mahfuz and may have led to the killing. Police suspect the murder stemmed from this personal dispute but continue to investigate to uncover the full motive.

Shawon went missing on December 28, and his body was recovered from farmland in Kadamshree Haor on Monday morning. His father, Awlad Hossain Bhuiyan, filed a murder case on December 31 against unidentified persons.

Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) detained three suspected members of a smuggling group along with two motorcycles at the Jagatber Union area of Patgram upazila in Lalmonirhat on Thursday, January 1, 2026. The arrests took place near the Mohammadpur area of the Nazirgomani border while the suspects were allegedly attempting to smuggle cattle across the India-Bangladesh frontier.

According to a press release from the 61 BGB Teesta Battalion, the operation was part of ongoing anti-smuggling drives in the Nazirgomani border region near pillar 868/5 S. The seized individuals were identified as residents of the Islampur area: Md. Abdul Jalil, Md. Mahidul Islam, and Abedar Ali. The confiscated motorcycles and other materials were handed over to Patgram Police Station.

Patgram Police Station Officer-in-Charge Nazmul Haque stated that a smuggling case was filed, and the detainees, along with the seized items, were transferred to police custody for further legal action.

Four police officers were injured when drug dealers attacked a police team during a drug recovery operation in Sreepur, Gazipur, on Monday. The attackers vandalized two police vehicles and a CNG auto-rickshaw, freeing two detainees from police custody. Law enforcement later arrested ten individuals in connection with the assault.

According to the report, the Sreepur police team conducted the raid at a house in the Maona Peer Ali College area following a tip-off about drug trading. Officers initially detained three suspects with yaba tablets. Upon learning of the arrests, local drug traders and their associates armed with local weapons, machetes, and iron rods attacked the police, throwing bricks and stones. Additional police forces arrived to control the situation and rescued the injured officers, who were taken to Sreepur Upazila Health Complex.

Sub-Inspector Arup Kumar Biswas filed a case naming 24 individuals and 80–90 unidentified suspects for obstructing government work and attacking police. Police also seized three motorcycles left behind by the attackers and said operations to capture fugitives are ongoing.

A lawyer named Naim Kibria, aged 35, was allegedly beaten to death in Dhaka’s Bashundhara residential area following a collision between his private car and a motorcycle on Wednesday night. According to Bhatar Police Sub-Inspector Ariful Islam, unidentified youths, including the motorcycle rider, dragged Naim from his car and assaulted him severely before leaving him on the road. His cousin Rafiqul Islam later took him to Kurmitola General Hospital around 11 p.m., where doctors declared him dead.

Police recovered the body from the hospital around 12:30 a.m. on Thursday and sent it to Dhaka Medical College morgue for autopsy after completing legal formalities. Naim, a lawyer at Pabna Judge Court and resident of Chak Joyenpur village in Pabna Sadar, had come to Dhaka about ten days earlier to discuss a discrimination-related case with Supreme Court lawyers. He had gone out in a friend’s private car on the night of the incident.

Authorities have not yet identified or detained the attackers, and the investigation is ongoing.

Detective Branch (DB) police in Bogura have arrested two members of an inter-district robbery gang in connection with a robbery at the Bogura CNG Filling Station in Barpur area. The arrests were announced during a press briefing at Sadar Police Station on Thursday noon, led by Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle) Mostafa Manzur. The robbery took place on December 23 when the robbers tied up the night guard and attempted to flee in a mini truck after sensing police presence.

Police from Sadar and DB units conducted operations in several areas, including Narayanganj, to capture the suspects. During the operation, law enforcement recovered a jack vehicle, two oxygen gas cylinders, six iron pipes, four shotgun bullets, four machetes, one knife, and rope used in the robbery. The arrested individuals were identified as Modachher Hossain, 29, from Nangalkot in Cumilla, and Yusuf Lori, 47, from Kabirhat in Noakhali. Both have multiple robbery cases filed against them in different districts.

The press briefing was attended by senior police officials from Sadar and DB units, including the officer-in-charge and investigating officers.

A video message allegedly from Faisal Karim Masud, the main accused in the murder of Inquilab Mancha spokesperson Shahid Sharif Osman Hadi, has recently circulated on social media. Many users claimed the video was created using artificial intelligence, but digital investigative outlet The Descent verified that it was not AI-generated. The outlet confirmed that Faisal’s facial features and expressions matched his real appearance, and background noise analysis across four AI detection tools supported the conclusion.

The Descent noted that while the video showed some visual inconsistencies, such as Faisal’s beard disappearing in certain frames, these were attributed to active video filters rather than AI generation. In the video, Faisal claimed to be in Dubai, but the outlet stated that his location could not be verified from the footage alone. He also denied being on the motorcycle used in Hadi’s killing, a claim contradicted by prior investigations confirming his and associate Alamgir Sheikh’s involvement.

Faisal further alleged that Hadi had taken money for ministry-related lobbying, but The Descent reported that no such accusations had previously surfaced against Hadi.

From January to December 2025, at least 34 Bangladeshi nationals were killed by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) in various frontier areas, according to the annual human rights report released Wednesday by Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK). The report stated that 24 of the victims were shot dead, while 10 others died after physical assault. During the same period, 38 people were injured by gunfire or physical attacks, and 14 were abducted, four of whom were later returned to Bangladesh.

ASK’s report also highlighted a sharp rise in mob violence across the country during the year. It noted that people were beaten or killed based on suspicion or rumors without evidence, investigation, or legal process. The organization observed that law enforcement agencies often remained inactive and showed reluctance to bring perpetrators to justice. In some cases, mobs carried out killings and assaults in the presence of security forces, which ASK described as a serious threat to the rule of law and a cause of unprecedented disorder in society.

Police in Mymensingh’s Bhaluka have arrested another suspect in the murder of garment worker Dipu Chandra Das, 27. Authorities said the arrested youth, Nirab Islam, 20, allegedly led the act of hanging and burning the victim’s body after the killing. He was identified through video footage analysis and detained from Cheragali area in Tongi, Gazipur, on Tuesday afternoon. With this arrest, the total number of detainees in the case has reached 19.

According to police, Nirab Islam, a knitting operator at Pioneer Knitwears (BD) Ltd, had been absent from work since the incident. Investigators conducted multiple operations in Netrakona, Dhaka’s Banani, and Gazipur before locating him. Police plan to seek a seven-day remand for interrogation. Earlier, 18 suspects were arrested, of whom 12 were remanded for three days and six for two days; five have given confessional statements in court.

The murder occurred on December 18 in Dubaliapara area of Habirbari union, where Dipu was beaten to death following allegations of religious defamation. His body was later hung from a tree and set on fire near the Dhaka–Mymensingh highway. Dipu’s brother filed a case naming 140 to 150 unidentified persons.