News In Brief

Rana Plaza owner
gets bail from HC
Staff Reporter
The High Court on Thursday granted bail to Sohel Rana, the owner of Rana Plaza, in a murder case filed in connection with the death of 1,135 garment workers after the building collapsed in April 2013.
The bench of Justice Md Akram Hossain Chowdhury and Justice Mohammad Ali passed the order after holding hearing on a rule that questioned earlier as to why Sohel Rana should not be granted bail.
Sohel Rana’s lawyer Md Qamrul Islam said there is no legal bar to his client’s release from jail following the HC order as of now.
If the government files an appeal with the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division challenging the bail order and if the apex court stays the HC verdict that granted the bail, Sohel cannot walk out from jail, he said.
Deputy Attorney General Mohiuddin Dewan, who opposed the bail petition, said that the state will move an appeal before the Appellate Division challenging the HC verdict.
Lawyer Qamrul said Sohel Rana is not the owner of Rana Plaza, as his father Abdul Khaleq, who purchased the land and got the plan for constructing the building from Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), was the owner of the building.
The number of accused in the case is 41 including Sohel Rana. Three of them, including Sohel Rana’s father Abdul Khalek, have died. Thirty-seven of the rest of the 38 accused except for Sohel Rana are now on bail, the lawyer said.
The case was filed on charge of negligence in constructing the building, murder charge was included in the case later on, he added.
Qamrul said Sohel Rana may have liabilities for the collapse of Rana Plaza, but he has right to get justice. However, the engineers of Rajuk, who approved the plan of the building, and owners of the garment factory there, have also liabilities for the incident, he added.
Deputy Attorney General Mohiuddin Dewan, who opposed the bail petition, said the state will move an appeal before the Appellate Division challenging the HC verdict that granted bail to Sohel Rana in the case.
At least 1,136 people, mostly garment workers, were killed and over 2,500 others injured as the nine-storey building came crashing down in Savar on April 24, 2013.
Hours after the disaster, Wali Ashraf, sub-inspector of Savar Police Station, had filed the murder case against building owner Sohel Rana, his father and several others.
The Criminal Investigation Department of police on May 24, 2015 pressed charges against Sohel Rana and 41 others in the murder case.
On July 18, 2016, the Dhaka District and Sessions Judge’s Court framed charges against the 41 accused, including Sohel Rana, also a former Jubo League leader in Savar, in the case.

3 arms supplier held
in Cox’s Bazar
News Desk
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested three people, including arms suppliers, to members of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) at the Rohingya camp in Cox’s Bazar.
A raid was conducted in Bara Veola area of Chakria, Cox’s Bazar and they were arrested along with firearms on Thursday morning, reports news agencies. The three arrested are Moktar Ahmad, 52, Abdur Rahim, 40, Md. Enamul Haque, 38. They are residents of Maheshkhali and Chakaria.
Commander Lieutenant Colonel Saiful Islam Sumon disclosed the matter in a press conference held at the office of RAB-15 in Cox’s Bazar at 3 pm.
He said a raid was conducted after receiving information that arms dealers from Maheshkhali carrying arms in a CNG-powered auto-rickshaw for ARSA members in Ukhia Rohingya camp. When a CNG-powered auto-rickshaw arrived in front of the RAB check post during the operation, the three tried to escape, as soon as the RAB members signaled to stop. At that time, three people including the autorickshaw driver were arrested.
Later, after searching the autorickshaw, three single-barreled and one double-barreled guns and 1,057,00 taka were recovered from them, he said.
A case has been lodged with Chakaria police station, and action will soon be taken, he added.

5 to die for killing USA
expatriate in Cumilla
Our Correspondent
A court here on Thursday awarded death penalty to five people for killing a USA expatriate over a land dispute in 2017.
The death row convicts are – Lipi Akter, Rahmat Ullah Rony, Kamal Hossain, Tajul Islam and Sajib of Sonaimuri upazila in Noakhali district.
Of them, Lipi and Sajib were not present at the court. Cumilla Additional District and Sessions Judge Nasrin Zahan passed the order.
Zahid Hossain, the state lawyer confirmed the matter to Banglanews.
According to the prosecution, the body of Akbar Hossain Babul was recovered from a water body at Mudaffarganj in Laksham upazila on Noakhali-Cumilla regional highway on August 1, 2017 few days after he had returned home from the USA.
On information, the mastermind behind this murder was Lipi Akhter, the wife of Saudi expatriate Abdur Rahman, the younger brother of the deceased.
Fatema Begum, wife of Akbar, identified the body.
Sheikh Milton Rahman, a sub-inspector of Laksham Police Station, filed a case against five people.
Police arrested the five accused and of them, four people gave confessional statements under section 164.
After examining the records and witnesses, Cumilla Additional District and Sessions Judge Nasrin Zahan handed down the verdict.