A 35-year-old man was arrested and remanded in custody after allegedly assaulting a 19-year-old woman under the pretext of helping her reach her husband in Bijoynagar upazila, Brahmanbaria. Local residents intercepted the suspect, Jasim Mia, as he attempted to abandon the victim along the highway late on Monday night, handed him over to the police, and ensured the victim received immediate assistance.
The incident occurred at approximately 10:00 pm on Monday along the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway near the Budhanti bus stand area. Jasim, a resident of Alinagar village within the Budhanti Union of Bijoynagar, was taken into custody shortly after.
According to police reports and local witnesses, the victim, originally from Chatkhil in Noakhali district, married a bakery worker from Netrokona roughly eight months ago. Her husband currently lives and works in Bijoynagar.
The victim had travelled by bus from Noakhali to the Comilla Cantonment area earlier in the day to visit her husband. She then boarded a inter-district bus operating on the Comilla-Sylhet route to complete her journey to Bijoynagar. Jasim happened to be seated next to her on the same bus, where the two struck up a conversation. During their interaction, the young woman mentioned her intended destination.
Exploiting her unfamiliarity with the area, Jasim persuaded her to bypass her stop, convincing her to disembark with him in the neighbouring Madhabpur upazila of Habiganj district. Under the guise of guiding her to her husband’s workplace, he led her to an isolated factory compound situated east of the Monihar Cinema Hall in the Satbarga area of Bijoynagar, where he allegedly sexually assaulted her.
Following the attack, Jasim boarded a CNG-run auto-rickshaw with the victim, claiming he was finally taking her to her husband. Upon reaching the Budhanti area, however, Jasim attempted to force the woman out of the moving vehicle. Passengers sharing the auto-rickshaw and bystanders on the street grew suspicious of his aggressive behaviour and intervened, detaining Jasim on the spot while alerting law enforcement.
Officers from the Islampur police outpost under Bijoynagar Police Station responded swiftly, taking Jasim into custody and securing the victim.
Muhammad Ahsan Ullah, Officer-in-Charge of Bijoynagar Police Station, confirmed that the victim filed a formal rape charge against the accused. She was subsequently escorted to Brahmanbaria General Hospital for necessary forensic and medical examinations. Jasim was produced before a local court on Tuesday afternoon and remanded in judicial custody as police continue their investigation.
