TWO persons have been burnt alive and 35 shops and one house burnt in three incidents of fire in three districts. Fire victims have estimated that property worth Tk 1 crore has been damaged in the blaze.
   In Gaibandha, according to a UNB report, two shop employees were burnt alive and four others injured in a devastating fire at Komorpur Bazar under Gobindaganj upazila Friday.
   The deceased were Zahidul Huq and Ashraful Huq.
   Witnesses said the fire broke out at Shahed Khandaker’s shop at the market at about 11:00am and soon engulfed the nine adjacent shops.
   Six shop employees who were inside during the fire could not come out and sustained severe burn injuries. Of them, Zahidul and Ashraful died on way to hospital.
   The shop owners estimated the loss at Tk 30 in the blaze.
   The Comilla correspondent of New Age reports that property worth Tk 6 lakh was damaged and a dwelling house burnt to ashes in a fire that broken out at Payerkhola under Chauddagram upazila on Wednesday.
   Local people said the fire originated from an electric short circuit.
   Fire-fighters extinguished the fire with help of the local people in one-hour effort.
   In Chandpur, according to another UNB report, a fire burned down 25 shops at Kaliapara Bazar under Shahrasti upazila Wednesday night. Twenty people sustained injuries while extinguishing the blaze.
   Affected traders said cash and valuables worth Tk 55 lakh were gutted in the fire.

THE Narail police rescued an abducted minor girl from a house at village Bhumurdia under the district headquarters and arrested one person from the house on Friday afternoon.
   The police and family members of the victim said one Pervez Jony Sohan came to the house of one Mizanur Rahman of village Roygram under Lohagara upazila of the district on Friday morning.
   In the afternoon, Pervez left the house with Mizanur’s eight-year-old daughter, Rima. After a while, Pervez phoned Mizanur and demanded Tk 50,000 for release of his daughter. Parvez asked Mizanur to pay the money to him at Bhumurdia. Mizanur and his relatives instantly informed the police of the matter.
   Accordingly, a police team raided Bhumurdia and rescued Rima from a house of the village. The police also arrested Pervez. A case was lodged with the police.
   In another incident, a woman was crushed under the wheels of a bus on the Narail-Jessore Highway at village Bhangura Sider under the Narail district headquarters Friday afternoon. The deceased was Kazal Rani, 35.
   A bus ran over Kazal Rani when she was crossing the road.

A ‘FAKE’ lecturer was arrested in the Natun Bazar area under Kalapara upazila in Patuakhali Friday noon.
   The arrested was identified as Abdul Matin Gazi, who had been teaching as a lecturer of computer science department of Kuakata Khanabad College.
   Following complain, the police arrested Matin at his house in the area.
   A local person, Mohammad Ali Munshi of village Pairpur at Khaprabahnga union under Kalapara, lodged a case with the police. The plaintiff said Matin had been serving in the college by submitting false documents.
   Saifur Rahman Isha, acting principal of the college, could not be contacted for comment.

UNIDENTIFIED assailants killed a farmer by slitting his throat in his house at village Harara Nutunpara under Mirpur upazila in Kushtia early Friday.
   The deceased was Reazzel Mollah, 40, of the village.
   Family members said a group of criminals, wearing mask, entered the house of Reazzel by breaking open window at about 1:30am.
   They fastened his wife and stabbed him and slit his throat. He died on the spot.
   The Kushtia police super, Gazi Jasim Uddin, and other police officials visited the spot.
   The body had a post-mortem examination in the Kushtia General Hospital morgue.
   A murder case was filed with the Mirpur police station.
   Local people said they suspected that Reazzel was killed in a sequel to previous enmity.