AL leader arrested over Noakhali gang-rape

Police have arrested two people, including a former UP member of Ward No. 4 of Charjubli Union and also local Awami League leader Ruhul Amin, in connection with the gang-rape of a woman in Subarnachar of Noakhali after December 30 eelction.

They were arrested in separate drives conducted in the early hours of Thursday, said Charjabbar Police Station OC Nizam Uddin.

With this, the number of arrestees over the incident is five, said the OC.

District Superintendent of Police Elias Sharif said Ruhul Amin was arrested from a poultry farm in the district headquarters while Bechu, another accused, was arrested from a brick field in Senbagh upazila in the district.

The operation is underway to arrest the remaining accused in the case, said OC Nizam.

Sohel, the main accused, son of Ismail Hossain of Madya Bagya village, was held from a brick field at Moheshpur in Barura upazila of Comilla on Wednesday.

Earlier on Tuesday night, Swapan, 35, son of Abdul Mannan of Madya Bagya village, was arrested from Ramgati upazila of Lakshmipur district while Basu, 40, son of Ahmad Ullah of the same village, was held on Monday.

Police said a group of people including Sohel, Hanif, Swapan, Chowdhury, Bechu, Basu, Abul, Mosharraf and Salahuddin vandalized the house of a middle-aged woman.

At one stage, they tied the woman's husband and daughter and took the woman outside the house and gang-raped her.

The woman and her husband were admitted to 250-bed Noakhali General Hospital the next day.

Later, the victim's husband filed a case with Charjabbar police station accusing nine people.

MHK