Prime accused in Noakhali gang rape case arrested

Noakhali Correspondent: Police have arrested the prime accused in a case filed over the gang rape of a woman in Noakhali's Subarnachar upazila over election row.

Sohel, 35, was arrested from a brick kiln at Moheshpur under Barura upazila of Cumilla on Wednesday noon. He was the son of late Ismail.

Earlier at 11:00pm on Monday, husband of the victim filed a case with Char Jabbar Police Station accusing nine persons. So far, three accused have been arrested in this connection since filing the case. Six accused have still remained absconding since the incident.

The absconding accused are Hanif, 30, Chowdhury, 25, Mosharaf, 28, Salauddin, 35, Abul, 40, and Bechu, 25.

Ilias Sharif, superintendent of Noakhali police, confirmed the arrest of the prime accused.

Earlier on Tuesday night, police arrested two other accused—Swapan, 35, and Bashu—from Ramgati upazila of Laxmipur district.

The 38-year old woman was gang-raped by a group of 'terrorists' on Monday (Dec 31) night as she had voted their opposition in 11th parliamentary elections, alleged her husband.

He filed a case with Char Jabbar Police Station accusing nine persons.

The mother-of-four victim claimed that all the attackers were followers of one Ruhul Amin Member, a former member of Char Jubilee Union Parishad.

According to the case filed Monday, Salauddin, a neighbour of the complainant, went to his house and called his name.

As the complainant's wife opened the door, the accused forcibly entered the house and started beating him and his wife as a sequel to previous enmity, it said.

At one stage, the accused tied hands and legs of the complainant and his children, and gagged them. Then they took his wife to a nearby pondside and gang-raped her, mentioned the statement.

Before leaving, the accused vandalised the tin fence of the complainant's house.

To investigate into the incident, a three-member delegation of National Human Rights Commission visited the victim, who was being treated at a hospital in Noakhali, this noon.

The team also collected a signature of the victim, said NHRC Director Al Mahmud Faizul Kabir, who led the delegation.

He said, they will submit a probe report to the commission on the incident after they got the medical test report from doctors.

Besides, a three-member probe team of rights group Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) went to the spot and visited the woman today.


risingbd/Noakhali/Jan 2, 2019/Mowla Sujan/AI