A Dhaka court has completed the testimonies of 15 out of 28 witnesses in the illegal wealth case against former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed. On Thursday, July 16, 2026, Assistant Director (Technical) of BTMC Textile Directorate Md. Faisal Kabir testified before the court of Special Judge Abdullah Al Mamun. As the accused remains absconding, cross-examination could not take place. The court set August 17 as the next hearing date, confirmed Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) lawyer Mir Ahmed Ali Salam.

Earlier, on March 8, the court accepted the charge sheet and issued an arrest warrant against Benazir Ahmed. On May 3, the same court framed charges and ordered the trial to begin. The ACC filed the case on December 15, 2024, through Deputy Director Hafizul Islam, who later submitted the charge sheet on November 30, 2025, alleging illicit enrichment, concealment of assets, and money laundering.

According to the charge sheet, Benazir declared assets worth about Tk 12.2 crore, but investigators found evidence of assets exceeding Tk 15.6 crore, indicating undisclosed wealth of Tk 11 crore. The court proceedings will continue next month.

A woman in Gopalganj’s Tungipara upazila divorced her husband two days after he allegedly set fire to their home following a family dispute. The incident occurred on Monday night at the Singipara Ashrayan Centre in Borni Union, where the couple had been living with their two children. On Wednesday, the wife, Taslima Khanam, formally divorced her husband, Shah Alam Sheikh Babu, through a notary public at court.

According to local sources, Taslima had received the government-built house under the Mujib Centenary Ashrayan Project for landless families. The couple had long been in conflict, and Taslima alleged that her husband regularly abused her physically and spent his earnings on drugs. After the fire, locals managed to control the blaze within half an hour. Taslima stated that she could no longer continue the marriage after her husband set fire to their home.

Tungipara Upazila Executive Officer Zahidul Alam said that setting fire to any government establishment is a punishable offense and that an investigation will be conducted.

Police have arrested three hired killers in connection with the murder of Zahidul Alam Jahangir, the former president of the Mitamain Upazila unit of the BNP in Kishoreganj. The arrests were made in Dhaka on Wednesday night. The detainees were identified as Helal, son of the late Sultan from Barguna’s Bamna area, and two others named Mohiuddin and Zakir.

According to police and local sources, the attack occurred around 10 p.m. on Wednesday in Kamalpur Beribandh area of Mitamain. Jahangir was attacked in front of his home by three assailants armed with sharp weapons, leaving him critically injured. Another local BNP leader, Hadis Mia, was also wounded while trying to intervene. Both victims were taken to Mitamain Upazila Health Complex and later transferred to Shaheed Syed Nazrul Islam Medical College Hospital, where Jahangir was declared dead at 11 p.m.

Kishoreganj Superintendent of Police Mohammad Mizanur Rahman said initial findings suggest the attackers came from Dhaka and were involved in the killing. Police have intensified surveillance and are investigating the motive, which may be linked to political rivalry.

A case has been filed in Narsingdi’s Palash upazila over an incident involving alleged extortion, assault, and ear-biting. The complaint was lodged on the night of July 14 at Palash Police Station by Md. Sajib Mia, owner of Messrs Sajib Traders in Ghorashal, against Mohiuddin Chishti, joint general secretary of the Ghorashal municipal BNP, naming him as the prime accused. The case accuses Chishti and several associates of demanding money from dredging businessman Sakhawat Hossain, abducting him, and physically assaulting him, including biting off part of his ear.

According to the case details, ten other individuals from various neighborhoods of Ghorashal municipality were also named as accused, all described as followers of Mohiuddin Chishti. Additionally, 15 to 20 unidentified persons were included in the case. Palash Police Station Officer-in-Charge Shahed Al Mamun confirmed that the case has been registered but no arrests have yet been made. Police are continuing efforts to apprehend the suspects.

The incident has drawn attention locally due to the involvement of a political figure and the violent nature of the allegations.

A woman named Morium Begum, aged 36, was arrested with 7,000 yaba tablets worth about Tk 2.8 million during a raid by the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) in Kendua upazila of Netrokona. The operation took place around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday at Henargati Bazar area on the Atharobari-Kendua road, where an interim checkpoint was set up to inspect vehicles. The DNC team, led by Assistant Director Md Nazmul Haque, intercepted a passenger bus named ‘Ashekane Haolapuri’ coming from Chattogram and recovered the drugs from Morium’s possession.

According to DNC and local sources, Morium and her husband Jewel Mia, residents of Kandipara village in Royalbari union, are known drug dealers. Morium reportedly brought large consignments of yaba from Chattogram, which the couple sold locally. Along with the yaba tablets, officers seized a button mobile phone and Tk 3,000 in cash from her.

A case was filed under the Narcotics Control Act at Kendua Police Station, and Morium was sent to court, where her bail was denied and she was ordered to jail custody.

A constable of the Department of Narcotics Control in Kushtia, named Abbas Ali, has been accused of taking bribes after two video clips showing him counting money went viral on social media. One 14-second clip shows him sitting on a sofa in a bedroom counting cash, with a man and a woman seated nearby. The house was identified as belonging to Rowshan Ali in Kushtia’s Barkhada Trimohoni area, whose son Imon is reportedly jailed in a drug case. Another 47-second clip shows Abbas Ali counting money in another house belonging to homeopathic doctor Anisur Rahman in Farakpur Railgate area of Veramara town.

Attempts to contact Abbas Ali, Rowshan Ali, and Anisur Rahman for comment were unsuccessful. The Deputy Director of the Department of Narcotics Control in Kushtia, Aslam Hossain, confirmed that he had seen the videos and said an investigation is underway to determine the purpose and source of the money. He added that disciplinary action will be taken if Abbas Ali is found guilty after verification.

The department has not yet disclosed any timeline for the investigation or possible administrative measures.

The Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh has issued a warning urging Chinese citizens to avoid seeking wives through illegal matchmaking agencies in the country. The advisory, released on social media on Tuesday, is part of a broader series of alerts from Chinese embassies worldwide following a rise in human trafficking risks. The embassy cautioned that any Chinese national attempting to find a spouse in Bangladesh through such agencies could face arrest on suspicion of human trafficking.

According to Bangladeshi law, those convicted of human trafficking face a minimum of seven years in prison and fines of at least 500,000 taka, with penalties extending up to life imprisonment or death depending on the severity. The embassy noted an increase in cross-border marriage scams involving Chinese citizens and emphasized that international marriages should be based on mutual consent and genuine affection.

The warning follows similar advisories issued in Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Pakistan, and Nepal. Chinese authorities have intensified crackdowns on trafficking and fraudulent matchmaking rings, arresting 1,546 suspects between January 2024 and March 2025, according to the Supreme People’s Procuratorate.

An Israeli court has sentenced a soldier to five years in prison for spying on behalf of Iran. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the soldier provided information to an Iranian agent during the 12-day war in 2025. The Times of Israel reported that the soldier sent a video of missile interceptions to the agent in exchange for money. The footage, which included scenes from civilian areas, had been obtained online. Authorities did not specify when the soldier was arrested.

In addition to the prison term, the court imposed a suspended sentence, fined the soldier 1,000 shekels (about 335 dollars), and demoted him to the rank of private. The IDF confirmed these disciplinary measures in its statement.

The 2025 conflict referenced in the case occurred in June of that year, when Israel launched attacks on Iran, prompting retaliatory strikes from Tehran that lasted for 12 days.

The Bangladesh Coast Guard rescued 19 fishermen who were stranded in the deep sea after their fishing trawler’s engine failed. The rescue took place on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, following information provided by one of the fishermen after the vessel regained mobile network coverage. The trawler, named FB Ma-2, had departed from Hatiya on July 8 for a fishing trip before the engine malfunctioned on July 13, leaving it adrift.

According to Coast Guard media officer Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujon, the operation was conducted by the BCGS Kutubdia ship and the Coast Guard station at Bhasanchar. The stranded fishermen were rescued alive from the deep sea area west of Chittagong’s Normans Point. They received primary medical treatment and food after the rescue, and arrangements were underway to hand them and the vessel over to the owner.

The Coast Guard emphasized its ongoing role in ensuring the safety of fishermen and maintaining security across Bangladesh’s coastal and riverine areas.

Police in Dhunat upazila of Bogura have arrested Jubo League leader Atikur Rahman, 37, in connection with a case over a cocktail attack on a Jubo Dal leader. Atikur, the joint general secretary of Dhunat Sadar Union Jubo League, was detained from his home in Ullapara village on Tuesday night and sent to Bogura District Jail through court on Wednesday afternoon.

According to the case, on February 17, 2025, around 7:30 p.m., leaders and activists of the Awami League and its affiliated organizations gathered at the Shaheed Minar square and brought out a torch procession chanting slogans. When Jubo Dal leader Ripon Sheikh and his supporters tried to obstruct the procession, tension erupted, and the procession participants allegedly detonated cocktails targeting Ripon Sheikh, causing panic in the area.

Following the incident, Ripon Sheikh, former general secretary of Ward No. 2 Jubo Dal of Dhunat Municipality, filed a case on February 19, naming 96 leaders and activists of the Awami League and its affiliates as accused. Police said Atikur Rahman was arrested as an unidentified accused, and efforts to arrest others are ongoing.

An investigation by the International Crimes Tribunal’s probe agency has uncovered information that bodies of many martyrs from the July Revolution were dumped into a nearby river from a hospital in Dhaka. Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam disclosed the findings to reporters on Wednesday after visiting a mass grave of July martyrs near the Rayerbazar Martyred Intellectuals’ Graveyard. He said those involved, including hospital authorities, would be identified and brought to justice.

The prosecutor stated that the investigation is progressing by cross-checking evidence from new mass graves, hospitals, and other sources. According to a United Nations report, a list of 1,400 martyrs has been obtained, and efforts are underway to identify each victim through family interviews. So far, 834 bodies have been identified, and DNA testing has confirmed some reports. Islam added that several hospitals are being examined for their role in concealing victims’ identities by registering them as unclaimed bodies and avoiding autopsies.

The tribunal team plans to visit more mass graves across the country to continue identification efforts, which may increase the confirmed number of July martyrs.

The Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) arrested three people, including two women, in Ramu upazila of Cox’s Bazar for allegedly smuggling yaba tablets in a private car bearing a Home Ministry sticker. The operation took place around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday along the Chattogram–Cox’s Bazar highway near the Rubber Garden area. Authorities seized 6,000 yaba tablets, the Toyota C-HR car, and four mobile phones from the suspects.

The detainees were identified as Sabbir Hossain from Cumilla’s Chauddagram, Sima Islam from Narayanganj’s Rupganj, and Urmi Akter Usha from Dhaka’s Darus Salam area. According to the DNC, the drugs were found inside three packages wrapped with scotch tape and tissue paper. The seized items also included the car’s fitness certificate and tax token.

Cox’s Bazar DNC Deputy Director Somen Mondal said a case had been filed under the Narcotics Control Act. He described the use of a government sticker for drug trafficking as highly concerning and confirmed that investigators are probing how the sticker was obtained and whether others were involved.

A Khulna court has sentenced eight people to life imprisonment in the double murder case of Haidar Ali and Tarikul Islam Piku in the city’s Sonadanga area. The verdict was delivered on Wednesday afternoon by Nusrat Jabin, judge of the Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court-1. Each convict was also fined 50,000 taka, with an additional one-year rigorous imprisonment in case of non-payment. Among the convicts, only Faruk Sheikh alias Gari Faruk was present in court, while seven others remain absconding, prompting the court to issue arrest warrants against them.

According to the prosecution, the murders took place on February 28, 2010, due to previous enmity. Haidar Ali’s brother, Taiyeb Ali, filed the murder case at Sonadanga Police Station, naming 17 accused. Police submitted the charge sheet on October 3, 2010. After a lengthy trial, the court found eight defendants guilty and acquitted nine others due to insufficient evidence.

The ruling concludes a prolonged legal process that began over fifteen years ago, bringing partial closure to the victims’ families while efforts continue to apprehend the absconding convicts.

Police have submitted a charge sheet against three individuals in the murder case of Jagannath University student and Chhatra Dal leader Zobayed Hossain. The accused are his student and girlfriend Barjis Shabnam Barsha, her boyfriend Mahir Rahman, and Mahir’s friend Fardeen Ahmed Aylan. Investigators said Mahir was the main attacker, Barsha planned the killing, and Aylan assisted. The charge sheet was filed by Sub-Inspector Md Ashraf Hossain of Bangshal Police Station at a Dhaka court after nearly nine months of investigation.

According to the report, Zobayed was killed on 19 October last year at a house in Armanitola, Old Dhaka, where he had gone to tutor Barsha. He was stabbed on the ground floor and later found lying in a pool of blood on the stairs. The investigation found the murder was premeditated, involving a month of planning and surveillance. The motive was allegedly linked to fears that intimate photos and videos of Barsha and Zobayed might be leaked.

The prosecution lawyer said the charge sheet includes DNA evidence matching Mahir and his confession under Section 164. The document is under review by higher authorities before being presented to the court.

Police in Bhola have arrested Mostak Ahmed Shahin, the former district president of the now-banned Chhatra League, early Tuesday morning from his home in Ward No. 8 of Bhola Municipality. The joint operation was conducted by Bhola Sadar Model Police Station and the District Detective Branch (DB). Shahin was detained in connection with a 2019 case involving the vandalism of the Bhola district BNP office.

According to Bhola Sadar Model Police Station’s investigation officer Ziauddin Ahmed, Shahin was presented before the Bhola court on Wednesday morning. The court subsequently ordered that he be sent to jail custody. The arrest followed the enforcement of restrictions on the organization’s activities in the district.

The report did not include further details on the case proceedings or any official reactions from political groups or authorities beyond the police statement.