ROBBERS looted the house of a municipal commissioner at village Duboria-Bisnapur under Laksam upazila in Comilla on Thursday night.
   The police said a gang of 10 to 12 robbers entered the house of municipal commissioner Hazi Abul Basher by breaking open the door.
   The gang kept the inhabitants of the house hostage at gun point and looted cash and 55 tolas of gold worth Tk 10 lakh.
   The robbers also stabbed commissioner’s wife Lutfur Nahar, 45. She was admitted to Comilla Medical College Hospital. A case was recorded with the police.
   Meanwhile, a UNB report from Jhalakati adds: Robbers looted cash and other valuables from nine houses in three villages of Khathalia upazila early Thursday injuring three persons.
   The bandits, numbering 15/16, first looted valuables from the house of carpenter Jaladhar at village Vaialbunia. Later, they raided the houses of Rustam Ali, Nasiruddin, Shahidul Islam, Jamaluddin, Nizamuddin, Jahangir Master, Jafar Ali of Tarabunia village one after another. Afterwards they also looted valuables from the house of Manik Chowkider of nearby village Pashuribunia.
   The robbers chopped college student Sohel, 17, indiscriminately and beat up Malati Begum, 40 and Badal.

ACUTE scarcity of urea fertiliser has been prevailing in Pirojpur hampering aus paddy cultivation during the current season.
   According to the local Department of Agricultural Extension, farmers of the district have brought 17,685 hectares of land under aus cultivation this season.
   Of the total, 5,585 hectares were cultivated in Mathbaria, 4,800 hectares in Bhandaria, 4,250 hectares in Nesarabad and 3,050 hectares in sadar upazila.
   But the farmers are apprehending that the production target may not be achieved, as they cannot properly use fertiliser on their land during the peak season due to the crisis.
   The farmers alleged that the district received allocation of urea half against the demand.
   Agriculture department officials said despite their demand for 900 and 701 tonnes urea for the months of May and June respectively they got allocation of only 477 and 351 tonnes for the district.

OVER 100 families in Sherpur sadar upazila are passing their days in great anxiety as erosion by the River Brahmaputra approaching fast towards their villages that already devoured 25 houses of village Bagolgarh.
   Local people said eight houses went into the gorge of the river in the village in last 24 hours till Friday afternoon.
   The river engulfed at least 25 dwellings in the village in last 10 days, they said.
   At least 10 villages, including Bagolgarh, Horindhora, Kulur-char and Beparipara, are at high risk of erosion.
   Ayesha, an elderly woman of Bagolgarh, who lost her house again, said that she changed her address four times due to the erosion.
   ‘Now I have nothing, no food and money and even no place to live in,’ she added.
   The Sherpur deputy commissioner, Shamsunnahar Begum, told the news agency that the administration would take all possible measures to protect the villagers from the erosion.

THE army-led joint forces launched drives against adulteration at Gaodagari, Tanore, Mohanpur and Puthia in Rajshahi on Thursday and realised about Tk 1 lakh in fines.
   The army-led joint forces launched the drives against restaurants, tea stalls, oil mills, groceries at Mahishal Bari and Godagari Hut of Godagari between 11:00am and 5:00pm and realised Tk 86,000 in fines.
   Godagari upazila nirbahi officer Sarwar Jahan led the joint forces.
   On the other hand, the army-led joint forces launched drives against restaurants, groceries and cosmetic shops in Mundumala, Gollapara under Tanore and collected Tk 20,000 in fines.
   Tanore upazila nirbahi officer Najmus Sadat Salim led the joint forces.
   The army-led joint forces also launched a drive at Puthia Filling Station on Thursday and fined it Tk 15,000 for deceiving people in weighing.

A HOUSEWIFE allegedly committed suicide by taking poison at Ghilachhari under Naniarchor upazila in Rangamati Friday morning.
   Locals said Chandra Bala Chakma, 26, wife of Sundar Jiban Chakma, took poison following a family feud.
   The police sent the body to Rangamati General Hospital morgue. A UD case was lodged.

A TEENAGE boy was killed in a road accident on Comilla-Sylhet road at Companiganj under Debidwar upazila in Comilla early Friday.
   The dead was Mohammad Ali, 16, son of Liakot Ali of Chompoknagar under sadar upazila.
   Local people and the police said a speeding Comilla-bound bus hit the boy at about 7:30 am just after he got down from a vehicle on the road. He died on the spot.
   The body was sent to the Comilla Medical College Hospital morgue. A case was recorded with the police.