Two held on rape charge

Two people, including Rajapur upazila unit Sramik League secretary, were arrested early yesterday in connection with raping a housewife in Rajapur upazila town.

The arrestees are Sramik League leader Monir Howlader and Siddiq Hossain, said Shamsul Areefin, officer-in-charge of Rajapur Police Station.

The victim filed a case against five people, including Monir and Siddiq, with the police station on Wednesday night. Police then detained Monir in Rajapur upazila town and Siddiq in Bhandaria municipality of Pirojpur, the police official said. 

According to the case statement, the five accused entered the house of the woman in Medical intersection area of Rajapur upazila town on Wednesday afternoon and raped her.

Her physically challenged husband was in another room at that time, the statement said.

The OC said they were trying to arrest the other accused.

The woman was sent to Jhalakathi Sadar Hospital for her medical tests.

A study, conducted by rights body Ain o Salish Kendra, says 512 women or girl child became victims of rape or attempted rape between January and September in 2016.

In the same time in 2017, the number of such victims was 588.