The New Nation - Internet Edition

68 fishing trawlers looted, 40 fishermen abducted for ransom in 4 days in Bay

UNB, Barisal

Pirates looted 68 fishing trawlers and abducted 40 fishermen for ransom in different points of the Bay in last four days since Wednesday.

The pirates looted all valuables including fish, fuel, net, engine and spare parts and cash worth Tk 20 lakh from those trawlers and injured at least 11 fishermen by beating and chopping.

Fishermen have been panicked to go to the sea due to rampant piracy although huge hilsa fishes are being netted in Patuakhali and Barguna coasts for the last seven days.

"Piracy has increased as lots of hilsa are being netted now", said Abdus Salam, president of trawler owners' association in Mohipur of Patuakhali.

The pirates hijacked four trawlers with 40 fisher men and demanded Tk 8 lakh ransom for their release, sources said. The looted trawlers included FB Janani, FB Molla, FB Mohima, FB Kabir, FB Swapan, FB Rakib and FB Mayer Doa.

The victim fishermen said pirate gangs have introduced 'token' for trawlers, which have to be collected after meeting their demands. Pirates kidnapped the fishermen as they did not buy 'token' from them after payment of toll and took the hostages to an unknown place in the Sundarbans.

A Coast Guard official in Bhola said drive against pirates would be launched in the Bay soon. He said they have shortage of vessels for patrolling in the fishing areas.

Outlaw killed in shootout with RAB in Chuadanga

UNB, Chuadanga

Leader of an outlawed party was killed in a shootout between his cohorts and police and RAB near Kumari Veterinary Training Institute in Alamdanga upazila early Sunday.

The deceased, Roni Biswas, of Bogadi village of Alamdanga upazila, was the leader of the outlawed 'Communist Juddho'. He was wanted in 28 cases including 18 murders, police said.

RAB-6 sources said acting on a tip-off, police and RAB jointly conducted operation near the training institute when Roni was holding a clandestine meeting with his cadres.

"As soon as the law enforcers reached the spot at about 3am the outlaws opened fire forcing them to fire back", said a spot account of RAB. When the outlaws fled the scene the bullet-ridden body of Rony was recovered. Two shutter guns and several rounds of bullet were also seized from the scene.

Erosion by Dharala river devours 5 kms in Kurigram

UNB, Kurigram

Some 30 establishments on 5 kms area in Panchgachhi union in Sadar upazila were devoured by the erosion of Dharala river on Wednesday and Thursday.

While visiting the union, UNB correspondent found that erosion has taken a serious turn with the recession of the river water A number of dwelling houses, schools, vast eidgah area, croplands, roads and trees went into the river in the worst affected Kadamtala, Nawabash, Chowdhury Para villages in the union. Over 100 trees have already been cut in the affected eidgah area in presence of the UP Chairman. Kobad Ali, while removing his house, said that he said Eid prayers in the eidgah but within six days, the river devoured most of the area.

Executive Engineer of Lalmonirhat Water Development Board Abdul Matin said they have taken some temporary measures to protect the area from the river erosion during the current year.

Lalmonirhat WDB has already sent a Tk 12 crore-project proposal to the higher authorities to check the erosion effectively, he said.

Woman killed, one held in Rupganj

Our Correspondent, Rupganj

One Jarina Begum 52, second wife of Abdus Samad Pagla of Barpa village under the Rupganj thana in Narayanganj was killed on the 10th October at mazar premises of the said village.

On information a team of Rupganj thana police led by Goljar Hossain, Sub Inspector Rushed to the spot and found the dead body. Some marks of injury were found on the body Local source said the woman might have been killed for disrupting illegal activities by the criminal.

A case was filed with Rupganj thana by her stepson Nurunnabi. Police arrested Abdus Samad Pagla, the hsuband of the deceased, in this connection. Later the dead body was sent to the morgue for autopsy.

Jute cultivated on 10,300 hectares in Jhenidah

UNB, Jhenidah

Farmers have brought 10,300 hectares of land under jute cultivation in six upazilas of the district with a target to produce 1,00,300 bales of jute in the current season.

According to the Department of Agriculture Extension, 1,407 hectares have been brought under jute cultivation in Sadar, 830 hectares in Kaliganj, 513 hectares in Kotchandpur, 3,500 hectares in Moheshpur, 2,550 hectares in Shoilakupa and 1,500 hectares in Harinakunda upazila.

The DAE has ensured supply of necessary seeds, fertilizer, pesticides and other agricultural inputs at fair prices among the farmers to achieve the production target.

Besides, the department has also imparted training to the farmers to acquaint them with the modern methods of jute cultivation.

Housewife burnt to death in Jhendiah

UNB, Jhenidah

A housewife was burnt to death allegedly by her husband in Adarshapara area of the district town Friday night.

On information, police recovered the charred body of Shamima Akther Rani from the kitchen of her house.

Police said she might have been burnt to death by pouring kerosene on the body.

Police arrested victim's husband Milon. But the family members of Milon claimed that Shamima died due to gas cylinder explosion while cooking in the kitchen. A case was filed.

Valuables looted in Cox's Bazar

UNB, Cox's Bazar

Robbers looted valuables worth Tk one lakh from a house at Pahartali village in Chakaria upazila early Saturday injuring four people seriously.

Local people the gang numbering 15/20 stormed into the house of Joynal Abedin late at night and looted the valuables at gun point.

Hearing the hue and cry local people chased the robbers. At one stage the bandits opened fire on them leaving four people, including an Imam of a local mosque, critically injured.

The injured Imam Lutfor Rahman, 28, Jafar Alam, 42, Fazal Karim, 40, and Mizanur Rahman were rushed to Chittagong Medical College Hospital.

Another report from Sunamganj adds: A gang of bandits entered into house of Faruq Mia at Guradeo village in Chhatak upazila and looted cash and valuables worth Tk one lakh on the same night. Local people after a hot chase caught one of the robbers identified as Liakat Ali, 35, and handed him over to police after a mass beating.

9 terrorists killed in shootout with police in Jhenidah

UNB, Jhenidah

Two terrorists were killed in a shootout with police at Kadamdi in Shailakupa upazila early Saturday.

The deceased are Maruf Hossain, 40, of Beparipara in the town and Enamul Haque, 38, of Harinarayanpur village in Kushtia Sadar upazila.

Police said they were wanted in a number of criminal cases including robbery and extortion.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of police went to Kadamdi on Jhenidah-Kushtia road where Maruf and Enamul along with their accomplices were felling roadside trees at about 2.30 am.

Sensing the presence of law enforcers, the armed terrorists opened fire on the police who returned the fire triggering a gun battle.

During the 15-minute gun battle, Maruf and Enamul were caught in the line of fire while trying to flee the scene. They were rushed to the upazila health complex where the attending doctors declared them dead.

Police also recovered a foreign made gun, two light guns and 18 rounds of bullet from the spot.

B’baria jail yet to shift to new building

UNB, Brahmanbaria

The district jail could not be shifted to the newly constructed building, due to shortage of manpower.

Prisoners are living a subhuman condition in the old jail as three or four times more prisoners are living in it than its accommodation capacity. At present, there are 1100 prisoners in the old district jail against the capacity of 283 prisoners. The new building has been constructed a month back at a cost of Tk 21.67 crore with an accommodation capacity of 650 prisoners.

News Briefs

Two killed in road crash in Benapole

BEANPOLE (Jessore), Oct 14: Two people were killed and another was injured critically in a road accident on Benapole-Jessore road near Navaran Puratan Bazaar here Saturday evening. The dead were identified as Saju, 22, and Babu 20. Witnesses said the accident occurred when a speeding truck rammed into a rickshaw-van, killing its two passengers on the spot and critically injuring another. The injured Rafiqul was admitted to local hospital. On information, police recovered the bodies and sent those to the hospital morgue for autopsy, reports UNB.

Freedom fighter dies in Goalanda

GOALANDA (Rajbari), Oct 14: Valiant freedom fighter Hasmat Ali died of heart attack at his home at Swaruparchak village here Saturday morning. He was 65. He left behind his wife, two sons, a daughter and a host of relatives and well-wishers to mourn his death. Hasmat Ali was buried with state honour at his family graveyard after namaz-e-janaza held at a local Madrassah field at about 10:30am, reports UNB.

Fire guts cloth shop in Sunamganj

SYLHET, Oct 14: Cash and valuables worth over Tk 3 lakh were gutted in a fire at a cloth shop at Badaghat Bazaar in Tahirpur upazila of Sunamganj district early Saturday. Local sources said the fire originated at Nilupar Cloth Store at around 1:00am. The reason behind the fire could not be known immediately. Seeing the flame local people rushed to the spot and doused the fire with the help of other shop owners after one hour of frantic efforts. The affected shop owner Masaddar Ali Shaha claimed that the extent of damage from the fire could go up to Tk 3 lakh, reports UNB.

Workshop on 'child and women’ begins in Narail

NARAIL, Oct 14: The three-day workshop on 'child and woman' for journalists began in the auditorium of the district parishad on Saturday. Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) is organising the training workshop. PIB Director General Mohammad Nazrul Islam inaugurated the training workshop as the chief guest. Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Mashiur Rahman addressed the inaugural function as special guest while PID Director (Training and Administration) Mohammad Jahangir Hossain in the chair. A total of 30 journalists of Narail and Gopalganj district are taking part in the workshop, reports BSS.

28 arrested in Comilla

COMILLA, Oct 14: Police arrested 28 people on various charges in separate drives from 16 thanas of the district during the last 24 hours ended on Saturday night. Nine were arrested under regular cases and 19 under warrants for arrest, reports BSS.

Huge foreign wine recovered in Ctg

CHITTAGONG, Oct 14: Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel here recovered 234 bottles contraband Phensidyl syrups. 72 bottles foreign wine after conducting separate drives at different parts of the city here on Saturday. Acting on a tip off, a team of RAB-7 raided at Barisal colony adjacent to old rail station area in the city at 12.15 pm today and seized contraband 234 bottles Phensidyl syrups from house of an alleged drug trader in the area, a RAB press release said. However, the alleged drug peddler managed to escape the arrest. Another RABV squad recovered 72 bottles foreign made wine in an abandoned state from Asad Ali bari area of south Halishahar in the city at 5 a.m today reports BSS.