RAB arrested Rabiu Islam, 36, vice president of Nandigram upazila Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, with 1,200 yaba tablets in Nandigram, Bogura, on Tuesday night. Officers also seized Tk 3,150 described as proceeds from drug sales. The arrest followed a RAB-12 operation based on information that a person was travelling by CNG auto-rickshaw carrying yaba toward Nundah village.

RAB personnel on patrol set up a checkpoint on the road in front of Mozammel’s house in Nundah village. At about 9pm, they stopped an unnumbered passenger auto-rickshaw. Rabiu, the vehicle’s only passenger, was questioned after arousing suspicion. He reportedly admitted that yaba was kept in a zipper bag in his left trouser pocket, from which the tablets were recovered.

Nandigram upazila Chhatra Dal general secretary Mostafizur Rahman Tarek said the party would not accept responsibility for an individual’s offence and that steps had already been taken to expel Rabiu. Nandigram police station officer-in-charge Tarikul Islam said a case was filed under the Narcotics Control Act and the accused was sent to Bogura court custody.

A farmer couple died after being electrocuted by an electric machine used to cut grass for cattle in Madhabpur village of Shailkupa upazila, Jhenaidah, on Wednesday morning. The victims were identified as Amarendra Nath Bhowmik, 72, and his wife Mina Bhowmik, 58, both residents of Madhabpur village.

According to local residents, Amarendra Nath was operating the electric grass-cutting machine in the cowshed at his home when he was electrocuted. Mina was seriously injured after attempting to rescue her husband when she saw him struggling from the electric shock.

Neighbours immediately disconnected the electricity supply and took the couple to the upazila health complex. Dr Asaduzzaman Joha, an emergency department physician at Shailkupa Upazila Health Complex, confirmed the incident and said both had died before they were brought to the hospital.

A fire in the newborn room of the gynecology ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences hospital in Islamabad killed at least 15 newborns, hospital authorities said on Wednesday. Sixteen newborns were in the nursery when the fire broke out, and only one was rescued alive.

Rescue agency sources said the fire began inside the nursery at about 6:45 a.m. local time. Preliminary information indicated that it spread after an air-conditioner compressor exploded. District administration said rescue teams responded immediately, with six fire service vehicles and four ambulances joining the operation.

According to district administration information, 14 children were completely burned in the fire on the third floor of the hospital's MCH ward. Rescue workers said the blaze had been brought under control and cooling work was under way after it was fully extinguished. The district administration has formed an investigation committee led by the additional deputy commissioner to determine the actual cause and examine how the incident occurred.

Two police officers were attacked while investigating the drowning deaths of two children in Shyampur village of Gurudaspur, Natore, on Tuesday evening. The officers were later withdrawn from duty and sent to the police lines, according to the report.

Police and local sources said Farhan, son of Fazlur Rahman, and Lam, son of Bablu, drowned in the Nandakunja River while bathing with friends on Tuesday afternoon. Gurudaspur police station Sub-Inspector Abul Bashar and constable Rakib went to the scene to verify the incident and prepare inquest reports.

An argument began between local residents and the officers after they removed shrouding cloth to view the bodies. The dispute escalated into an attack that injured both officers. They received treatment at the উপজেলা health complex, where journalists were not allowed to take photographs. Natore Superintendent of Police Shariful Islam said he had learned that there were flaws in the officers’ investigation, and they were therefore withdrawn and sent to the police lines.

District Detective Branch police arrested two alleged members of an interstate theft ring in Tongibari, Munshiganj, after recovering a stolen Suzuki Gixxer-SF 150cc motorcycle. The operation was conducted on Tuesday at a CNG stand in the Uttar Betka area under the leadership of Sub-Inspector Rezaul Kazi.

The recovered motorcycle carried the registration number Dhaka Metro-L-26-8747. The arrested men were identified as Md. Kiran Sheikh, 31, and Md. Mamun, 34. Police said preliminary investigation found that they were active members of an interstate theft ring.

According to police, both suspects face multiple cases related to motorcycle theft. Superintendent of Police Md. Menhajul Alam said legal action over the incident is under process.

Students from Rajshahi University’s Management Studies and Chemistry departments clashed and vandalised academic buildings following an argument over seating at an event in the TSC. The violence occurred around 10pm on Tuesday behind Nawab Abdul Latif Hall and at the two departments’ academic buildings. At least four Chemistry students were injured, with two reported seriously hurt.

The injured students were identified as Ferdous Hasan, Sajidur, Noman and Samin. Ferdous Hasan and Sajidur sustained injuries to their heads and eyes. According to additional chief medical officer Sajid Hafiz, four students received treatment at the university medical centre, and two were sent to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital after initial care.

Students said an attempt to settle the earlier verbal dispute failed, leading to the confrontation. Allegations included assaults, brick throwing and vandalism involving both groups. Students from both departments were seen standing outside their departments with sticks until midnight. Vice-Chancellor Abdul Alim said the situation was calm, a three-member committee had been formed to investigate, and those found responsible would face punishment.

The Forest Department seized a boat loaded with a large quantity of garan timber allegedly being transported for smuggling from the Sundarbans in the Shyamnagar coastal area of Satkhira Range. Members of the Tengrakhal Forest Patrol Outpost carried out the operation at Mojidder Mor, near the Sundarbans coast in Shyamnagar upazila, at about 10pm on Tuesday.

Suspected smugglers fled after noticing the presence of forest personnel, preventing their detention. Md Ismail Hossain, the officer in charge of the Tengrakhal Forest Patrol Outpost, said officials found and seized a boat abandoned by the smugglers during the operation. The boat was carrying a large quantity of garan wood allegedly cut illegally from deep inside the Sundarbans.

Forest workers recovered the timber-laden boat and took it to the Tengrakhal Forest Patrol Outpost office. Forest Department sources said legal procedures have begun regarding the seized timber and vessel. A case will be filed under the forest law, while efforts will be made to identify the fleeing smugglers and take strict legal action against them.

A case has been filed against BNP leader Bokul Mia in Kendua, Netrokona, over allegations that he repeatedly raped a schoolgirl and recorded and circulated videos of the abuse on social media. The girl’s father filed the case on Tuesday under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act and the Pornography Control Act. The family says the student, now in class 10, is about six months pregnant.

The complaint names five accused, including Bokul Mia, and lists three to four unidentified people. Police arrested the second accused, Md Abu Mia, 36, while Bokul Mia, 50, remains absconding. According to the case statement, the alleged abuse began on November 20, 2022, when the girl was in class 6. She was allegedly taken to a house on the pretext of visiting a doctor.

The complaint alleges that recorded footage was used to threaten the girl and that abuse occurred at different times between March and April 2025 and January and July 2026. Kendua municipal BNP said it decided to take organisational action after learning of the allegation. Police said Abu Mia was sent to court and then jail, while efforts continue to arrest others. The allegations remain under investigation and are not proven in court.

A consultation meeting was held at Rangpur Circuit House on Wednesday afternoon to address tensions following the killings of retired teacher Ganapati Chakraborty and four family members. Convened by Rangpur-3 lawmaker Professor Mahbubur Rahman Belal, the meeting focused on improving law and order and protecting communal harmony. Political leaders, officials, lawyers, teachers, students, businesspeople, journalists and civil society representatives attended.

Speakers described the killings as tragic and alarming, demanding that the real perpetrators be identified quickly through an impartial investigation and given exemplary punishment. They urged people to remain alert against rumours, misinformation and misleading claims that could harm social and communal harmony. Belal said responsible figures should avoid broad comments while the case remains under investigation. City Corporation administrator Mahfuz Un Nabi Don said criminals have no party or religion.

Police recovered the bodies on 22 August from the family home in Machhuapara, Rangpur city. The victims were Ganapati Chakraborty, his wife Pritilata, daughter Agami and son Ayush. The investigation has been transferred to the Detective Branch. Police officials said 236 people were arrested in 92 drug cases over the past three months, while participants called for unity to preserve stability and public order.

Police recovered the decomposed body of auto driver Rumon Ali from a sugarcane field in the Pithalitola-Puthimari wetland area of Shibganj, Chapainawabganj, on Wednesday night, five days after he went missing. The body was found after farmers spotted it while returning home after working in the field and informed police.

Local residents said Rumon was abducted along with his autorickshaw from the Pailing intersection area on August 21 by Asim and his associates. Police took the body to the police station after recovering it from the field.

Shibganj police station Officer-in-Charge Matiur Rahman said the body was sent to the district hospital morgue for an autopsy. Following a case over the abduction, police arrested three accused, including alleged ringleader Asim, and are conducting operations to arrest the remaining suspects. Rumon's family members and relatives demanded exemplary punishment for those involved.

More than 200 hotels and guest houses near Kolkata’s New Market have been sealed or ordered closed within 48 hours after a deadly fire at the Shikha Inn residential hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street. The fire reportedly killed nine people, including seven Bangladeshis. The crackdown by the Kolkata municipal authority, fire service and police has left thousands of Bangladeshi visitors, many seeking medical treatment, facing an acute accommodation shortage.

The New Market hotel district, including Sudder Street, Marquis Street, Lindsay Street and Mirza Ghalib Street, is popular with Bangladeshi middle- and lower-middle-income travellers because of relatively affordable lodging and nearby services. Visitors and local residents alleged widespread illegal hotel operations, inadequate fire safety, narrow exits, absent emergency escape routes and unsafe electrical wiring. One Bangladeshi tourist said fire service personnel rescued him after he sheltered in a hotel bathroom.

Officials have formed a committee to investigate the fire and begun examining the legal status of hotels and guest houses. Visitors said remaining rooms are being offered at two to three times previous rates, while many are shortening their trips and seeking return bus tickets. A senior police officer said life safety would take priority, while police would monitor against harassment of tourists with valid documents.

Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka has become a major route for gold smuggling, with customs authorities seizing nearly 2,000 kilograms of gold in more than 100 operations between 2021 and 2026. Dhaka Customs House estimated the seized gold’s market value at about Tk5,000 crore. Smugglers have used aircraft cargo holds, toilets, fruit crates and passenger belongings, while individual consignments have reached 15 to 20 kilograms.

Seizures peaked at 697 kilograms in fiscal year 2021-22, followed by 554 kilograms in 2022-23 and 417 kilograms in 2023-24. Airport police registered 541 gold-smuggling cases over five years. Intelligence sources alleged that more than 50 techniques are used and that some aviation, customs, security, police and Ansar personnel have been named as alleged facilitators, while key syndicate operators remain beyond reach.

Three large consignments were recovered this year, including 17.901 kilograms from a Biman flight on March 28, 18.720 kilograms on July 2, and 16 kilograms from fruit crates on a Cathay Pacific cargo flight on July 19. Airport and customs officials said surveillance and operations would continue, while police said they were working to identify the main operators, particularly on the Dubai route.

Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has approved three separate cases against Aramit Cement PLC, owned by former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, over allegations of embezzling Tk141.20 crore through forged bills and vouchers. Saifuzzaman, his wife Rukmila Zaman and a total of 29 people will be accused in the cases, the ACC said at a Tuesday press conference at its Segunbagicha headquarters in Dhaka.

The commission alleged that the funds were withdrawn through 27 transactions without any actual sale or purchase of goods, then transferred through different accounts and laundered to the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries. Investigators said the transactions were presented as purchases and sales of cement raw materials, while Aramit employee and Saifuzzaman’s personal assistant Abdul Aziz was shown as owner and supplier of Imperial Trading.

The three cases concern alleged transactions worth Tk57.60 crore, Tk41.62 crore and Tk42.07 crore between 2018 and 2021. The ACC said the cases will be filed under laws addressing misuse of banking systems, forgery and money laundering. It also cited earlier court orders to freeze or seize Saifuzzaman’s domestic and overseas assets.

A 25-year-old tourist, Yasir Khan, died and another tourist, Mohammad Ibrahim, 23, remained missing after they entered the sea at Cox’s Bazar beach on Wednesday afternoon. The incident occurred around 2:30pm between Laboni and Sugandha points, according to acting Superintendent of Police Ajmal Hossain of the Cox’s Bazar Tourist Police region.

Police, citing lifeguards, said five people from Aftabnagar in Dhaka had travelled to Cox’s Bazar and went swimming after leaving their belongings at their hotel. They entered the water near the beach opposite Laboni’s Jaltaranga Hotel, where red flags had been displayed to warn that swimming was dangerous. All five were caught in the current shortly after entering the water.

Three members of the group reached shore, but Yasir and Ibrahim became trapped in a hole. Lifeguards recovered Yasir in critical condition and took him to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Fire Service personnel and Sea Safe Lifeguard members continued efforts to locate Ibrahim. Police said they were verifying the full identities of the dead and missing tourists, and their families were travelling to Cox’s Bazar.

Three journalists were allegedly attacked while reporting on a protest outside the Shariatpur deputy commissioner’s office at about 10am on Tuesday. The journalists were Bidhhan Majumdar Oni of News Twenty Four Television and Jago News, Zahid Hasan Roni of The Daily Star, and Barakat Ullah of Dainik Edin. Former district Jubo Dal president Arifuzzaman Molla and several others were accused of involvement.

Victims and witnesses said BNP and affiliated organisation activists held a protest march accusing the deputy commissioner of various wrongdoing. The protest followed demonstrations by Press Club journalists over allegations that the administration demolished the club’s boundary wall without written notice. Roni alleged that his phone and identity card were taken and he was forced to delete recorded footage.

Barakat Ullah said he was beaten after being identified as a journalist and was taken to Shariatpur Sadar Hospital by local people. The district Press Club demanded an impartial investigation and legal action. Additional Superintendent of Police Tanvir Hossain said police would investigate and take legal action if a written complaint is submitted.