Man accused of attempted rape in Netrokona

A case has been filed against a man over an attempted rape of a woman at an Ashrayan Project house in Netrokona's Khaliajuri upazila.

The accused, identified as Asuk Mia, 45, has been on the run since the incident, confirmed Md Nasir Uddin, officer-in-charge of Khaliajuri Police Station, today.

Citing the case statement, police said the incident took place around 11:30am on Thursday inside a house at the Ashrayan project in Gazipur union of the upazila. The survivor and her husband, both garment workers in Dhaka, had recently returned to their village for the harvesting season and were staying at a relative’s house in the project area.

The woman’s husband had left for work in a nearby haor area on the morning of the incident. At one stage, a local woman allegedly took the survivor to an empty house in the project, where Asuk Mia lay in waiting. After the local woman left the two of them alone, the accused tried to rape the woman, and physically assaulted her, according to case details.

Hearing her screams, locals rushed to the scene and rescued her, while the accused fled, police said.

The case was filed late Thursday night by the victim’s husband’s grandfather, Md Siraj Mia, under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.

“A case has been registered based on the complaint. The accused is absconding. Efforts are underway to arrest him,” the OC said.