A student of Pabna University of Science and Technology was allegedly gang-raped after being lured with an invitation to have tea. Following a complaint filed by the victim’s mother on Tuesday night, police arrested three suspects. A court later ordered their remand to custody on Wednesday.
The arrested individuals are Mehedi Masud (26) of Kalachandpara, Mahmudul Hasan (23) of Chak Ramchandrapur, and Harunur Rashid (27) of Shalgaria Forestpara in Pabna.
Sanjay Kumar Saha, Officer-in-Charge (Operations) of Pabna Sadar Police Station, stated that on Monday night, the victim’s former boyfriend, Mehedi Masud, invited her for tea and took her to the Meril Bypass Forest area in the town. According to a premeditated plan, she was taken to an abandoned building where the three suspects raped her in turns. On Tuesday night, the victim’s mother filed a formal complaint at Pabna Sadar Police Station, following which the accused were arrested from various locations in the town. The victim underwent a medical examination at Pabna General Hospital, and she has given her statement in court.
According to the case report, the victim is a sixth-semester student at Pabna University of Science and Technology. She had been in a romantic relationship with Mehedi Masud since 2022. Their relationship ended in May this year after Mehedi married someone else. On Monday evening, Mehedi invited her for tea and took her on a motorcycle ride around the town. Around 9:30 p.m., he took her to an abandoned building in the Forestpara area of Shalgaria, where the crime took place. When the victim fell ill, the suspects left her in an autorickshaw and fled. She returned home and informed her family about the incident.
The investigation of the case has been overseen by Afroza Helen, President of the Bangladesh Police Women’s Welfare Association, and Touhida Nupur, its Joint Secretary.
