Bangladesh: Mother and daughter brutally raped by gang

Dhaka, Bangladesh, June 29, 2016: Bangladesh Minority Watch has reported that a Hindu woman (35) and her college-going daughter (17) have been gang raped in a trawler at Bauphal Upazila in Patuakhali District on 11th June, 2016.

In connection with the case, Nure Alam- leader of Swechchhasebak League, a pro-Awami League body, has been arrested. The arrestee, Nure Alam, is the vice president of Najirpur union ward-1 Swechchhasebak League, as told by the unit’s secretary Hasan Mahmud Mintu.

As per the police, the mother and daughter went from the Uttar Kachipara village to Kalaiya area, to visit Sona park at noon on Saturday. Around 4:00pm, they came out of the park and got into a hired vehicle/bike to go to the house of a relative at a nearby village. However, the engine biker took them to Nindi launch ghat instead of Park.

Nure Alam along with five other youths forcibly made the mother and daughter board a trawler where they were gang raped later, said police and victims. Hearing their cries, some fishermen near Char Esha of the Tetulia river approached the trawler. Sensing their presence, all, but Nur jumped into the river and fled. The fishermen caught the rapist and rescued the victims.

They were handed over to the Bangladesh police later. AZM Faruqee, officer-in-charge of Bauphal Police Station, claimed that Nure Alam confessed his involvement in the incident during his primary interrogation. He said the other “rapists” were also from Najirpur union and aged between 20 and 25. A case was filed with Bauphal police over the incident lodged by the husband of Minu Rani. The mother and the daughter were sent to Patuakhali General Hospital for medical tests, police said, adding that they were trying to arrest the remaining rapists.

Bangladesh Minority Watch has stated that the victim minor girl has said that the mother and daughter were threatened by the rapists with murder andtheyeven injured their legs and snached their phones.

The perpetrators raped the mother and daughter one after the other and took their pictures and made the video of the rape. Harun, Rahim, and Sohel first raped the mother after which she got unconscious. The daughter was raped the next and the perpetrators looted gold chain that the mother and daughter were wearing.

The mother and daughter were sent to Upazila Health complex and later sent to Patuakhali Medical Hospital for treatment. So far, no other updates have been reported as the police have failed to catch other perpetrators.