Bhola rape case: Prime accused, associate held in overnight raid

Police have arrested two more suspects, including the prime accused, in connection with the gang rape of a woman in Tazumuddin upazila of Bhola.

Md Farid Uddin, joint general secretary of the Tazumuddin Upazila unit of the Sramik Dal, the labour wing of the BNP, was apprehended from Borhanuddin upazila around 1:30am on Wednesday. His associate, Md Alauddin, was arrested around the same time from Hatiya upazila in Noakhali, confirmed Tazumuddin Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohabbat Khan.

With these arrests, the total number of people detained in the case has risen to four, the OC said.

Earlier, police arrested the third accused, the victim's husband’s third wife. Rapid Action Battalion (Rab-8) also detained the fifth accused, Md Rasel, from the Elisha launch ghat area on last night.

OC Mohabbat added that the suspects had gone into hiding in remote char areas to avoid arrest. Investigators tracked them using mobile phone surveillance.

The victim’s husband filed a case on Monday, naming seven individuals as accused, including his third wife.

According to the case statement, the incident occurred around noon on June 29 at the residence of the husband’s third wife in Maulana Kandi village, under Chandpur Union of Tazumuddin upazila. The woman was allegedly raped by multiple individuals. The case accuses all seven of rape and physical assault.