Mother, daughter allegedly gang-raped after robbery in Cox's Bazar, 6 arrested

Mother, daughter allegedly gang-raped after robbery in Cox's Bazar, 6 arrested

A businessman's wife and her school-going daughter were allegedly gang-raped after robbers cut through window grills and looted their home in the newly formed Matamuhuri upazila of Cox's Bazar. Police have so far arrested six individuals in connection with the incident.

The incident occurred around 2:30 am on Monday night, June 8, at the businessman's residence in the upazila.

The arrestees have been identified as Rezaul, Mehedi, Babu, Kefayet, Tanjid and Mohammad Tarek, all residents of the same upazila. Police said preliminary investigation has found direct involvement of four of them.

According to local sources, a gang of 8-10 armed robbers entered the house by cutting window grills late on Monday night. The businessman was not at home at the time. Taking advantage of his absence, the armed robbers held his wife and tenth-grade daughter hostage and gang-raped them. They then fled after looting cash, gold ornaments and other valuables.

The mother and daughter were rescued in critical condition early in the morning and taken to Chakaria Upazila Health Complex. When their condition deteriorated, they were transferred to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital.

The victim woman's younger brother said his tenth-grade niece is in extremely critical condition due to excessive blood loss and is currently receiving treatment in the ICU.

Upon receiving the news, police teams led by Assistant Superintendent of Police Abhijit Das of Chakaria Circle reached the spot and launched an investigation. A series of raids were conducted in various areas of the upazila from early Tuesday morning, leading to the arrest of six individuals.

Chakaria Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Monir Hossain confirmed the incident, stating that six arrests have been made so far, with direct involvement of four established in preliminary investigation. Efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining culprits.