Traders in front of Banglabazar Mosque Market in Daulatkhan, Bhola, held a human chain and protest on Wednesday afternoon over an alleged attack on fellow businessmen. More than 100 traders voluntarily joined the programme, which was organised by market businesses. The protest followed a clash at about 11:30pm on Tuesday involving traders Shimul Chandra Das and Rakhal Chandra Das and groups linked to Liton Hawladar and Alam Member over shops in the mosque market.

Banglabazar Mosque Market Traders’ Committee president Haji Mohammad Shafiullah alleged that Rakhal Chandra Das and Shimul Chandra Das were attacked under the leadership of local Alam Member and Liton Hawladar. He said they were severely beaten and injured. Rakhal Chandra Das was described as being in critical condition and was taken first to Bhola Sadar Hospital and later to Dhaka for treatment.

Shafiullah demanded an investigation and swift legal action, including exemplary punishment for those involved. He also alleged that the inclusion of outsiders in the mosque committee had made it controversial, and traders demanded an immediate declaration to dissolve that committee. Committee leaders and other market traders attended the protest.

RAB detained 24-year-old Imon Ahmed during an anti-drug operation in Newpara, a border area of Jibannagar upazila in Chuadanga, on Tuesday afternoon. Officers recovered 652 bottles of Indian syrup, Tk 16.75 lakh in cash and a motorcycle allegedly used for transporting drugs, according to RAB-12’s Meherpur camp.

The seized syrups included 542 bottles of Scaf syrup and 110 bottles of Wincarax syrup. Imon Ahmed is the son of Jahangir Alam of the upazila’s Newpara area. Acting company commander Assistant Superintendent of Police Hannan Howlader said the operation was conducted in the border-area locality as part of an anti-drug drive.

RAB said preliminary information indicated that the syrups had been brought illegally into Bangladesh through the border and stored for supply or sale as drugs. Authorities are also investigating the source of the large amount of cash. The detainee and seized items were handed over to Jibannagar police station for legal procedures, and a case was filed against Imon Ahmed under the Narcotics Control Act.

A brick-breaking vehicle overturned in Kharpara village of Bhatera Union in Kulaura উপজেলার on Wednesday at about 1pm, killing a worker and seriously injuring three others. The deceased was identified as Usman Mia, 35, a resident of Ashighar village in Fenchuganj upazila.

According to local sources, four workers from Ashighar had travelled to Kharpara early Wednesday to carry out brick-breaking work. After finishing the job, they set out for their home village in the vehicle. At the entrance to Kharpara village, the vehicle’s middle axle broke and it overturned.

Usman Mia fell beneath the vehicle and suffered severe head injuries. He was sent to Sylhet Osmani Hospital in critical condition, where doctors declared him dead. The other three workers were admitted to hospital with serious injuries. Bhatera Union Parishad acting chairman Sheikh Saidul Islam Pakhi confirmed the accident and said Usman Mia worked as a brick-breaking labourer. His body remains at Sylhet Osmani Hospital.

A court in Manikganj sentenced eight people to life imprisonment in the widely discussed Hiron murder case on Tuesday afternoon. Additional District and Sessions Judge Md Tasim Billah delivered the verdict. Each convicted person was also fined Tk20,000, with an additional six months in prison if the fine is not paid.

The convicted are Marzina, Falani, Mizan Khan, Rustam Khan, Sabuj Ahmed, Selim Mia, Anis and Rafiq. According to case records, Abdul Majid Hiron of Railya village in Saturia went missing after leaving home on the night of October 7, 2009. His body was recovered the following day from a mahogany grove on the western bank of the Dhaleshwari River.

The first information report alleged that Hiron was strangled to death. State lawyer and Additional Public Prosecutor Bulbul Ahmed Golap said the court issued the convictions after hearing testimony from 17 witnesses during a lengthy trial. Seven other accused were acquitted, while two accused died during the proceedings.

At least 12 members of the district water transport workers’ union were injured in an alleged attack on protesting workers near the 1,320MW Payra Thermal Power Plant in Kalapara, Patuakhali. The incident occurred around 5pm Tuesday at Bottola Bazar, adjacent to the plant’s jetty. Five workers, including Rezaul Pyada, Hiron Pyada, Imam Pyada, Khokon and Hasan, were admitted to Kalapara উপজেলা Health Complex in serious condition.

The workers said they had held a protest and sit-in from 11am, demanding that members of the government-registered water transport workers’ union be included in ship cargo operations at the power plant. They said police mediated a temporary suspension of the programme around 3pm, while several workers remained in the Bottola Bazar area.

According to the injured workers, 7 to 8 people carrying sticks attacked them around 5pm under the leadership of Dhanikhali Union Jubo Dal president Md Kuddus Mridha Tapan. Tapan denied the allegation, saying he would be guilty if administration personnel present at the site said he was involved. Kalapara police chief Md Nazrul Islam said legal action would follow an investigation if a written complaint is filed.

A mobile court in the Parbazar area of Chowgacha municipal town, Jashore, seized 13,550 kilograms of fertiliser on Wednesday at 11am from a shop owned by Khairul Islam, 45. The court, led by Assistant Commissioner (Land) GMA Munib, ordered that the fertiliser be sold to farmers at government-set fair prices and that the proceeds be deposited in the state treasury.

Khairul could not produce valid documents showing he was an authorised fertiliser seller during the operation. Officials found 271 sacks in his store: 28 sacks of MOP, 147 sacks of TSP, nine sacks of DAP and 87 sacks of urea. The reported retail value of the seized stock was Tk353,350.

The court fined Khairul Tk20,000 after he admitted storing the large quantity without a valid licence; alternatively, he faced one month of simple imprisonment. He paid the fine and gave a written undertaking not to stockpile or trade fertiliser illegally in the future. Agricultural officials, police, traders’ representatives and law enforcement personnel were present during the operation.

Mohammad Nadim, a prisoner convicted under the Narcotics Control Act, died while receiving treatment at Dinajpur Medical College Hospital on Wednesday morning. Nadim, son of the late Alauddin from the Mission Road area of Dinajpur city, had been serving a 10-day sentence at Dinajpur District Jail. His release had been scheduled for Thursday, August 27, after his sentence ended on August 26.

Prison sources said Nadim entered Dinajpur District Jail on August 17 after being sentenced under Section 36(5) of the Narcotics Control Act. He was reported to suffer from a condition in which he would suddenly lose consciousness due to drug addiction.

He fell ill suddenly in the jail on Wednesday morning and was quickly sent to Dinajpur Medical College Hospital. After examination in the emergency department, the attending physician moved him to the medicine ward, where he died during treatment. Acting jailer Sirajus Salehin confirmed the death and said the body was handed over to the family after an autopsy.

An eight-member robbery gang reportedly entered the home of Kuwait expatriate Miksan Sheikh in the Brahmankathi area of Pirojpur early Tuesday. The group allegedly cut through kitchen and building-side grills, tied up Sheikh’s younger brother Emran at gunpoint and looted gold ornaments, cash and other valuables.

Miksan Sheikh’s wife Selina Begum and Emran said the robbers entered Emran’s room carrying pistols and locally made weapons. They said the gang broke open a locker and took two gold chains, a ring, an Android mobile phone and other valuable items. The robbers also tried but failed to break the door of Selina Begum’s room.

Neighbour Rehana Begum was seriously injured after the robbers allegedly beat her when she approached the house after hearing cries from inside. Pirojpur Sadar police station officer-in-charge Md Shariful Islam said police visited the scene after receiving information and collected preliminary details. He said the process for necessary legal action was under way based on a written complaint.

A Dhaka court on Wednesday, August 26, rejected the bail petition of Bidisha Siddique and ordered her sent to jail in a fraud case filed at Gulshan police station. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Aminul Islam Junaid issued the order after a hearing. Siddique, a former wife of former president Hussein Muhammad Ershad, had already been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment in the case.

Her lawyer, Atikur Rahman, sought bail pending appeal on the same day, while assistant public prosecutor Syed Golam Murtuza Ibn Islam opposed the request and sought her detention. On May 20, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Jamshed Alam sentenced Siddique to two years in prison and fined her Tk10,000. Failure to pay the fine would bring an additional month of simple imprisonment.

Police arrested Siddique at about 8:30pm on Tuesday, August 25, from the Arabica restaurant in Gulshan-2 under a warrant. The case was filed in February 2008 by businessman Mosharraf Hossain over an alleged flat-sale agreement. He alleged that he paid Tk75 lakh but neither received the flat nor recovered the money after a Tk72 lakh cheque was dishonoured. Her lawyer is expected to pursue further legal action through an appeal.

Rangpur Police Commissioner Abdul Mabud has been transferred, and Special Branch DIG Mahbubur Rashid has been appointed as the new commissioner of Rangpur Metropolitan Police. The transfer was ordered through a Ministry of Home Affairs notification issued on Tuesday.

Mabud assumed responsibility as Rangpur Metropolitan Police commissioner on 12 August. His transfer came only 13 days after taking up the post. The source does not state the reason for the ministry’s transfer order.

The change in the commissioner’s post followed the recovery of four bodies from the Daspara-Machhuapara area of Rangpur city on Saturday night. The victims were retired Rangpur Zilla School teacher Ganapati Chakraborty and three family members. Police later detained two suspects and said they had killed Chakraborty, his wife, daughter and son one by one.

Police arrested Vidisha Ershad, the second wife of late president Hussain Muhammad Ershad, in Dhaka’s Gulshan area on Tuesday, August 25. She was detained at about 8:30pm from Erabika Restaurant in Gulshan-2 after an arrest warrant had been issued against her, according to Gulshan police station Officer-in-Charge Md Daud Hossain.

Police said a financial fraud case was filed against Vidisha Ershad at Gulshan police station. A court sentenced her to two years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Tk10,000 in that case.

An arrest warrant was subsequently issued against her, police said. After the warrant was issued, she went into hiding before police later located and arrested her.

International Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Aminul Islam said every enforced disappearance case will be treated seriously and justice will be ensured without political consideration. He made the remarks at a Tuesday press briefing at his office after meeting relatives of disappearance victims led by Sanzida Islam Tuli, coordinator of the family platform Mayer Dak.

Tuli alleged that efforts by former chief prosecutor Tajul Islam to investigate and prosecute disappearances had been influenced by political considerations. Aminul said victims would not be viewed according to party affiliation, whether linked to Jamaat-e-Islami, BNP or another group. He cited councillor Ekram, described as an Awami League member who was killed in what he said was a crossfire operation planned under the Awami League government, as an example of a case now being prosecuted.

Aminul said about 250 families of disappearance victims have been identified. Investigators have preliminarily verified the allegations and confirmed that the individuals were abducted by law-enforcement agencies, he said. Statements from every affected family are being recorded. Five designated officers with specialist disappearance-investigation experience have been assigned, and he requested reasonable additional time to conclude investigations and submit one or two reports for trial.

The High Court has ordered authorities to dispose of an application seeking an inquiry into businessman and former Eastern Bank chairman Shawkat Ali Chowdhury within 30 days. The order was issued on Tuesday by a High Court bench led by Justice Fahmida Kader over allegations involving the laundering of $25 million to the United Kingdom.

The court also issued a rule asking why legal action should not be taken against the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit for its alleged failure to recover the money from the United Kingdom. The writ petition named the Anti-Corruption Commission and its chairman, the BFIU chief, the National Board of Revenue and the Bangladesh Bank governor as respondents.

According to the petition, the UK National Crime Agency found $25 million in Shawkat Ali Chowdhury’s name while investigating assets allegedly laundered by former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury. UK authorities reportedly sought a freezing order or mutual legal assistance request within four weeks, but the petition alleged no action was taken. It said the funds were later moved to the United Arab Emirates and were declared as undisclosed foreign assets in a tax return.

A Dhaka metropolitan sessions court has rejected the bail petition of actor Ashraful Haque Don, who was arrested in the Salman Shah murder case. The order was issued on Tuesday by the court of 11th Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Nurul Islam. Don’s lawyer, Tarikul Islam Jewel, sought bail, but the court dismissed the application, according to bench assistant Faruk Dewan.

This was Don’s second unsuccessful bail bid. A Dhaka metropolitan magistrate court had also denied him bail on August 12, and he has remained in custody since his arrest. Immigration police arrested Don at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the early hours of August 9, later handing him to the CID before he was sent to jail through a court order.

CID inspector Md Mujibur Rahman has sought seven days of remand for Don, with a hearing scheduled for August 27. Investigators cited the need to uncover the case’s facts, identify and arrest other associates or relevant people, and examine Don’s reported attempt to travel abroad. The investigation report in the murder case is due on August 30.

Gold smuggling through Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka continues despite seizures and intensified surveillance, according to customs, police and intelligence-linked accounts cited in the report. From 2021 to 2026, more than 100 operations seized nearly 2,000 kilograms of gold, valued at about Tk5,000 crore. Authorities recorded large consignments concealed in aircraft compartments, cargo and fruit crates, while alleged ringleaders remain beyond reach.

Dhaka Custom House data show 697 kilograms were seized in 2021-22, followed by 554 kilograms in 2022-23 and 417 kilograms in 2023-24. Airport police registered 541 gold-smuggling cases over the past five years. Intelligence sources said the networks use more than 50 concealment methods and may involve passengers as well as aviation-related workers. An aviation expert said coordinated support within airport operations was likely needed for repeated large shipments.

Three major consignments were seized this year, including 17.901 kilograms from a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight on March 28 and 18.720 kilograms on July 2. Customs and airport officials said surveillance and operations will continue, while police said they are working to identify the principal figures, particularly on the Dubai route.