Bangladesh extends army’s magistracy power by 2 months
The Bangladeshi interim government has extended the magistracy power given to commissioned army officers for another two months.
An alleged serial killer who goes by the name of ‘Hercules’ has kept the Bangladesh police on their toes. Three bodies have been found over the last two weeks, all of them of rape accused men, with the killer leaving a note.
On Friday, the police “found” the third body in Rajapur sub-district of Jhalakathi with a note around its neck.
“I am Rakib. I am the rapist of a madrasa girl…of Bhandaria. This is the consequence of a rapist. Be wary rapists…Hercules,” read the rote in Bengali undersigned Hercules, The Daily Star reported.
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Deceased Rakib Hossain, 20, according to the report, was an accused in a case registered at the Bhandaria police station in connection with the gangrape of a madrasa student.
Quoting Md Jahidul Islam, officer-in-charge of Rajapur police station, the news report said the body was found with bullet injuries on the head.
The police are so far “clueless” about this ‘Hercules’ even as investigations are on.
On January 14, a madrasa student was allegedly waylaid and raped by two men when she was going somewhere. A police complaint was registered on January 17 naming Rakib and one Sajal.
Sajal was found dead on January 24 in Kathalia sub-district of Jhalakathi. He had also been shot dead and a similar note was found hanging around his neck.
With the two, police recovered the bodies of at least three suspected rapists killed in similar manner over the last two weeks.
On January 17, the police found the body of one Ripon, 39, also a suspect in a gang rape and murder case. The body was found in Savar on the outskirts of Dhaka, with a similar note hanging around the neck.
While the police are investigating all three murder cases and the rape cases, rights groups have raised concern over the incidents.
Sheepa Hafiza from rights group Ain O Salish Kendra told The Star that killing people “extra-judicially” and leaving a note could not be acceptable. “We have to be cautious. We have to look very carefully into why such incidents are taking place,” she said.
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