Woman gang-raped on char in Bhola

A woman was allegedly gang-raped, first by a group of four men in front of her two-year-old son and then by a Chhatra League leader who “rescued” her from the four, at Monpura upazila in Bhola on Saturday evening.

The victim filed a case against seven  -- Nazrul Islam, 30, Bilal Hossain, 35, Rased Palwan, 25, Shahin Khan, 22, Kiran, 26, Shahid Khan, 22, and Riaj Hossain -- with Monpura Police Station yesterday.

Quoting the case statement, Shakhawat Hossain, officer-in-charge of the police station, said the victim and her toddler son boarded a speedboat in Char Fasson to return home.

Two men were already on the speedboat except its driver. On the way, the driver of the speedboat Riaj Hossain, who was made an accused in the case, took two more men as passengers, he said.

At one point, the four passengers asked Riaj to anchor his boat at Char Chapilit, an isolated island that is covered with dense forest. They then forcibly took the woman there and raped her, he added.

The toddler who was standing beside her mother when the crime was committed, however, was left unharmed, the police official said.

Riaj then called Nazrul Islam, former president of Sakuchia union Chhatra League and the owner of the speedboat, over phone and sought help, he added.

Nazrul rushed to the island on another speedboat, extorted Tk 3,000 from the four and made them a way to escape. He then took the victim to another side of the island and raped her again, the police official said, adding that Nazrul also threatened the victim with dire consequences if she  shared her experience with anyone.

On information, Sakuchia Union Parishad Chairman Olyullah Kajol finally rescued the victim and sent her to a local clinic for treatment. Police later sent her to Bhola Sadar Hospital for medical tests and better treatment, the OC said.

None of the accused was held and police were conducting raids at different places to arrest the accused, the OC added.

3 HELD IN CONNECTION WITH ANOTHER CASE

Police yesterday arrested three men in Thakurgaon for allegedly raping a schoolgirl in the district on Wednesday.

The arrestees are Riajul Islam, 20, Faisal, 20, and Sabuj, 20, said Ashikur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Thakurgaon Police Station. 

According to the police official, Riajul had been stalking the girl for a long time.

On Wednesday, Riajul and his friends picked up the girl on a battery-run three-wheeler on her way to tuition. They then forcibly took her to a nearby sugarcane field and raped her, the OC said.

Riajul then took her to his hostel at knifepoint and raped her again. At one stage of the confinement, locals rescued the girl as she started screaming, he added.

The victim filed a case against four men with the police station on Friday. Another accused who was on the run would be held soon, the police official said.

Our Jhalakathi and Thakurgaon correspondents contributed to this report.