Police in Netrokona's Kendua Upazila have arrested three men in connection with the gang rape of a 19-year-old woman at an Eidgah field on Saturday night (Sept 28). The victim, a resident of Mymensingh's Ishwarganj Upazila, filed a formal case as the plaintiff at Kendua Police Station on Sunday afternoon (Sept 29) naming the three detained suspects.
According to the case statement and local residents, the victim had been in a romantic relationship with one of the suspects, 22-year-old lorry driver Billal Mia, for about a year. On Saturday morning (Sept 28), Billal reportedly called the young woman, urging her to meet him at Ishwarganj Bazar on the pretext of marriage. The victim left her home without informing her family, taking 12,000 Taka with her, and met Billal, who then transported her to Kendua via a CNG-operated autorickshaw.
Upon arriving in Kendua, Billal took the victim to an empty house belonging to his elder brother, where they remained throughout the day. Investigators noted that around 9:30 PM on Saturday, Billal left with the victim under the guise of taking her to his home. After wandering through various parts of the upazila, they reached the Kashipur Eidgah field around 11:30 PM, where Billal and 27-year-old lorry owner Harun Mia allegedly subjected the woman to gang rape under threats of death, while 26-year-old helper Rubel Mia kept watch and recorded the assault on a mobile phone.
Following the ordeal, the victim managed to dial the national emergency service number 999 to report the crime. When she subsequently attempted to contact the duty officer of Kendua Police Station, Billal snatched her mobile phone and destroyed the SIM card. Before fleeing the scene, the perpetrators delivered chilling threats, warning that if she informed anyone or filed a case, they would murder her and circulate the recorded video on social media. Law enforcement authorities swiftly responded to the emergency call, rescued the victim, and apprehended the three suspects.
Kendua Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Muhammad Tarikul Islam confirmed that the three detained individuals have been formally shown arrested and subsequently forwarded to court, from where they were sent to jail.
