BDR-Mob clas : 10 injured

CHUADANGA, Dec 31: At least 10 people were injured in a clash between BDR personnel and mob in the town on Monday, reports UNB.

Witnesses said the clash ensued in the evening when BDR men mercilessly beat up a truck driver in front of the police station here after he reportedly escaped with the truck laden with smuggled sugar and salt. Of the injured, truck driver Rabiul was admitted to Sadar Hospital in a critical condition. During the clash, the district town turned into a battlefield. BDR men fired 12 shots in the air to bring the situation under control. Later, the angry people became calm after the Deputy Commissioner assured them of taking legal actions against the BDR personnel.

Gun snatched

FARIDPUR, Dec 31: A licensed two-barrel gun was looted by a gang of miscreants at Baytul Mokaddem Market in the town on Thursday, reports UNB.

Owner of the gun Layek Ali of Barokhada village in Sadar upazila said the miscreants numbering eight to 10 swooped on him when he reached the market. He said he renewed the license on the same day from the office of the Deputy Commissioner.

1,770 arrested in 11 months

PANCHAGARH, Dec 31 : Police arrested some 1,770 people from different parts of the district in last 11 months till November, reports UNB.

Of the total, 1,212 were wanted criminals, 10 absconding convicts and 548 arrested on various charges. Besides, the law enforcers recovered one pistol, one country-made revolver and one bullet during the period. Another report adds : Police in their month-long drive arrested 150 accused and seized contrabands worth about Tk 1.24 lakh from Sadar upazila till November 15. Of them, 109 were wanted criminals while 35 held on various charges and six under Section 54. The contrabands include 88 foreign-made radios, 132 watches, 103 bottles of Indian phensidyl, 75 small tape reorders, 28 kgs of sugar, one Indian cycle and 250 grams of hemp.

BCL worker stabbed to death

PABNA, Dec 31: A local Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) worker was stabbed to death by extortionists in the town on the Eid day for protesting toll extortion, reports UNB.

Police said Minto Hossain Babu, 23, son of Sarwar Hossain of Dilalpur Beltala Road in the town, was stabbed indiscriminately by the extortionists in the evening following exchange of hot words. He died on the spot. Local people and police said Minto tried to resist his neighbours, Rubel, Pavel and Ripon, sons of Mukul Hossain, from collecting tolls from shops and individuals. On the Eid day, the three took Minto to local Selim Nazir High School ground and stabbed him to death. They went on hiding after the killing. Police arrested their mother, Beauty, 35. A case was filed with the local police.

Firearms recovere : 2 arrested

COMILLA, Dec 31 : Police in their separate drives recovered five firearms and arrested two people from Sadar upazila on December 21, reports UNB.

The arrested were identified as Delwar Hossain of Daribat village and Shafiqul Islam of Minnat Nagar village of Sadar upazila. Police said they recovered three abandoned pipe guns from Chhaya Bitan Housing area at Dhanpur in the town at about 10pm. Later, they searched an auto-rickshaw in the same area and recovered one foreign-name gun and one revolver. They caught auto-rickshaw passengers Delwar and Shafiqul.

Road link disrupted

BARGUNA, Dec 31 : Road communications of the district headquarters with other parts of the country remained stopped from Monday causing immense sufferings to hundreds of people, reports UNB.

District Bus Owners Association stopped plying buses along 10 routes from the district in an alleged bid to deprive some 250-transport workers from Eid bonuses. Earlier, the bus owners assured the transport workers of paying Eid bonuses ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.

Three killed in road mishap

GAZIPUR, Dec 30: Three people were killed and seven others injured in a head-on collision between two trucks here at Salna on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway early Monday, reports UNB.

Police said Raju Mia, 35, Jamal Hossain, 30, and Hossen Mia, 22, of Jhenaigati upazila in Sherpur died on the spot in the accident. The victims, all vegetable traders, were coming to Dhaka by one of the trucks.

School building burnt to ashes

JAMALPUR, Dec 31: A school building was reduced to ashes in a devastating fire in Digpait under Sadar upazila on Wednesday night, Fire Brigade and school sources said, reports BSS.

They said some unknown miscreants set the 60-year-old KD High School at Digpait afire. The semi-pucca building was gutted before local firefighters and hundreds of people rushed to the scene to douse the inferno. The motive for the arson and the estimated loss could not be immediately known. A probe body headed by former upazila chairman Prof Abdul Hamid was also constituted locally to inquire into the blaze. Kazi Mohammad Ashraf Ali, Headmaster of the school, claimed that the fire inflicted a loss of Taka seven lakh.

Fishing boats looted

SHARIATPUR, Dec 31: A number of pirates looted nets, fish and cash worth about Taka one lakh from three fishing boats and left 11 fishermen injured near the Padma, reports BSS.

Armed pirates numbering 15 looted the fishing boats on Friday last. The pirates beat and stabbed the fishermen who tried to resist them. Of the injured, Kasam, 26, was admitted to local Health Complex where doctors said his condition was critical. Others were released after first aid.

Robbery

THAKURGAON, Dec 31: A gang of bandits stormed three government offices in the municipality area in the town and looted Tk 25,000 in cash on Wednesday midnight, reports UNB.

Police said some 20-25 robbers attacked the district council office at about 2 am keeping its night guard hostage and looted Tk 15,000 from the steel almirah. Later, they stormed into the offices of Islamic Foundation and Local Government Engineering Department and decamped with Tk 10,000. Cases were filed with police.

Maize farming on 1,900 hectares

KISHOREGANJ, Dec 31: Some 1,900 hectares land in five districts of Mymensingh region have been brought under maize cultivation in the current Rabi season with an output target of 6,175 mts, reports UNB.

The districts are Mymensingh, Jamalpur, Sherpur, Kishoreganj and Netrakona. Of the total, some 700 hectares would be cultivated in Mymensingh, 200 hectares each in Jamalpur and Sherpur and 400 hectares each in Netrakona and Kishoreganj districts, official sources said. To achieve the target necessary steps have been taken to supply loan, seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, and other agri-inputs to the growers at fair prices.