A gang of armed men broke into the home of an expatriate worker in Gafargaon, Mymensingh, on Thursday night, carrying out a robbery before sexually assaulting the homeowner’s wife in front of her teenage son.
The incident took place around 8:00 pm at Char Kalibari village in Char Algi Union. The victim, whose husband works in Saudi Arabia, lives in the partially built residence alongside her 14-year-old son, a Year 10 pupil, following her elder daughter’s marriage.
Local police and family members stated that five armed youths—identified as Sharif, 23, Arif, 21, Fahim, 22, Rajib, 23, and Enamul, 22—entered the property under the pretext of asking for drinking water. When the teenage boy approached the door with a pitcher and glass, the intruders seized him, dragged him outside, and bound him to a tree near the entrance at knifepoint.
The attackers then forced their way indoors, holding the woman at weapon point while ransacking the premises. They broke open a steel wardrobe, looting 500,000 BDT in cash along with gold jewellery valued at approximately 500,000 BDT, including necklaces and earrings weighing two bhoris.
Following the robbery, the assailants dragged the woman outside to where her son was tied up. Holding a machete to the boy’s throat, two of the men subjected the mother to a brutal sexual assault while the remaining gang members kept watch.
During the assault, Rajib allegedly filmed the attack using his mobile phone. Before fleeing, the gang demanded an additional extortion payment of 200,000 BDT within three days, threatening to publish the footage on social media if the family alerted authorities or failed to pay.
Distressed cries from the victims alerted neighbours after the gang departed. Gafargaon Police Station was notified immediately, prompting officers to inspect the scene and launch a overnight manhunt.
At around 3:00 am on Friday, police raided a secluded area near Char Kalibari Government Primary School, roughly one kilometre from the crime scene. Officers detained Rajib, though four accomplices escaped into the darkness. During his apprehension, Rajib threw his mobile phone into nearby water in an attempt to destroy evidence, but officers subsequently recovered the device.
Additional Superintendent of Police (Gafargaon Circle) Manotosh Biswas confirmed that a formal complaint naming five individuals was lodged on Friday afternoon. Police are currently gathering forensic evidence, arranging medical examinations for the victim, and conducting raids to apprehend the remaining suspects.
