MISCREANTS raped a housewife and killed her at village Kodalia under Mollahat upazila in Bagerhat on Saturday night.
   The victim is Parveen Begum, 32, wife of Jalal Mollah of the village.
   The police said a gang of miscreants entered the residence of the victim at around 10:30pm and gang raped Parveen, mother of three children. She was alone in the house as her husband was in the local market and the children were in their maternal uncle's residence.
   The miscreants then killed her and left her on the veranda of their kitchen, the police added.
   When her husband returned home at around 11:30pm, he saw some people leaving his residence and found his wife dead.
   He lodged a case with the Mollahat police, accusing eight persons in this connection.
   Jalal suspected that she might be killed in a sequel to previous enmity over land dispute.

Assailants shot dead a young man and burned down his body after pouring patrol to conceal his identity at Chandra Gazariban under Kaliakair upazila in Gazipur early Sunday.
   The police and local people said assailants shot dead a young man at Shilpikunja Picnic Spot and set the body on fire after pouring patrol.
   The Kaliakair police recovered the body Sunday morning and also recovered two used bullet of 9mm pistol from the spot.
   A case was filed with the Kaliakair police. But none was arrested till filing of this report on Sunday night.
   Meanwhile, a motorbike rider was killed at village Babra-Hasla under Kalia upazila in Narail on Sunday.
   The deceased, Esadul Sardar, 24, son of Zalal Sardar of village Akdia under sadar upazila, was going to Kalia from Sankarpasha. Some miscreants looted his motorbike and killed him, according to locals.
   The police recovered his body from near a canal of village Babra-Hasla and sent it to the Narail Sadar Hospital morgue for post-mortem examination.
   A case was filed with the police in this connection.
   A BDNews adds: A group of unidentified miscreants slaughtered Mizanur Rahman, 22, a tea stall owner, early Sunday
   at Bhumihin Bazar under Subarna Char upazila in Noakhali.
   Later, the police recovered the body from the tea stall at the bazaar.
   Meanwhile, New Age Jessore correspondent reports that Israil Hossain, a flower farmer of village Manik Ali under Jhikargachha upazila in Jessore, was hacked to death by a group of thieves early Saturday while he was working on his flower field. Locals took him to Jessore General Hospital where died.

A dumb youth has killed in road accident near at Tetulia Toll Office under Gopalganj sadar upazila on the Gopalganj-Tekerhat-Dhaka Highway Sunday noon.
   Locals said a bus hit a bicycle rode by Shahid Mollah, 22, son of Golam Mostafa of village Malenga under the sadar upazila, killing him dead on the spot.
   The body was sent to the Gopalganj Sadar Hospital morgue.
   Meanwhile, one people was killed and another injured when a bus rammed into a rickshaw from behind in the Vatiakandi area under Laksam upazila in Noakhali on Saturday.
   The deceased is Moulobi Aliuallh Khan, 70, a former UP chairman and president of Laksam upzila BNP. He died on the spot.
   The injured rickshaw puller, Abdul Barik, was taken to Laksam Upazila Health Complex.
   Separate cases were filed with the police.

With a continued bid to preserve and highlight the distinct indigenous culture and heritage, the Chittagong Hill Tracts Indigenous Cultural Festival '06 on the local Tribal Cultural Institute premises in the Rangamati town concluded on Sunday.
   Eleven indigenous communities of the CHT took part in the four-day long festival to focus their cultures comprising heritage of diverse knowledge and ideas.
   Jointly sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme and European Commission, the Jum Aesthetics Council organised the fair, an annual event being held since 1998 to bring together all the indigenous groups of the CHT creating an atmosphere of mutual understanding and harmony.
   The festival was inaugurated by chairman of the Rangamati Hill District Council Manik Lal Dewan on April 6 .

Three persons committed suicide by taking poison over an affair of love at Shantinagar under Jaipurhat sadar upazila, the police said on Sunday.
   The deceased are Rokhsana Begum, 19, her brother Muktar Hossain, 27, of village Deor in Dinajpur and Jhuntu Sutra-dhar, 28, of the same district.
   Rokhsana was locked in an altercation with Muktar over her affair with Jhuntu on Saturday. At one stage, they took poison. On hearing this, Jhuntu also took poison. Later, they died in hospital.

About five thousand kgs of smuggled sugar have been seized in Satkhira and Brahmanbaria.
   A mobile court on Sunday seized 30 maunds (one maund equals 37.3 kgs) of sugar from Bhomra border area while being smuggled into the country from India, according to the United News of Bangladesh.
   The police said tipped off, the court led by magistrate Abdul Hye raided the area and seized the sugar at noon.
   But they failed to arrest anyone as the smugglers fled the scene.
   Meanwhile, a BDNews report from Brahmanbaria adds: The police seized four thousand kilograms of Indian smuggled sugar from the Dhaka bound Karnaphuli Express during a drive in the train at Brahmanbaria station Saturday night.
   The police also arrested seven persons in connection with the smuggling of sugar.
   First class magistrate of Brahmanbaria Habibur Rahman led the drive while police super AKM Masudul Alam and ASP Saifullah-Al-Mamun were also present.