A forty-two-year-old man has been apprehended and handed over to the police in Hatiya, an offshore island upazila in Noakhali, following allegations of sexually assaulting a nine-year-old primary school student inside a local dispensary. The suspect, identified as Mohammad Helal Uddin, widely known in the locality as Helal Master, was detained by residents after video footage documenting the purported abuse began circulating across social media platforms.
The incident occurred at around nine o’clock on Sunday morning at Adarsha Gram Bazar within Harani Union. Helal Uddin, the son of Belayet Khalifa from Ward 4 of the same union, currently operates a pharmacy in the bazaar. According to local residents and police sources, he previously worked as an educator at Adarsha Gram High School before leaving the teaching profession two to three years ago.
According to preliminary accounts, the suspect lured the third-grade student into his dispensary using false pretences. He subsequently took the child into the rear section of the shop, where the assault reportedly took place. An eyewitness noticed suspicious movements, peered through a damaged gap in the corrugated iron structure, and recorded the incident on a mobile phone.
As the footage spread rapidly within the community, residents gathered at the premises to confront the shopkeeper. Helal Uddin attempted to flee the scene during questioning, but bystanders intercepted him and escorted him to the Chairmanghat police outpost.
Local residents revealed that this was not an isolated accusation against the suspect. On 4 August, an informal village arbitration was convened in the same locality following an alleged attempt to assault another child. During that arbitration, community elders reportedly imposed a fine of 10,000 taka alongside fifty lashes.
The arrest has also triggered political finger-pointing. Community members noted that Helal previously served as the forestry and environmental affairs secretary for a local unit of the Jubo League, the youth affiliate of the Awami League. Following the recent change in government, he was observed participating in programmes organised by Jamaat-e-Islami.
Harani Union Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Hafez Tariful Mawla strongly denied any formal links with the suspect. He stated that Helal was merely attempting to shield himself from scrutiny after 5 August by joining a large party demonstration, maintaining that the accused remained associated with his former political affiliations.
Sub-Inspector Salauddin Rased, in charge of the Chairmanghat police outpost, confirmed that law enforcement took custody of the suspect immediately after receiving information from local residents. Kabir Hossain, the Officer-in-Charge of Hatiya Police Station, stated that the victim’s mother is filing a formal case under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act. Police confirmed that the nine-year-old girl is being transferred to the Noakhali 250-bed General Hospital for requisite forensic and medical examinations as statutory legal proceedings get underway.
