Police in Sunamganj’s Dharmapasha upazila have arrested two suspects following an incident in which two sisters were targeted in an attempted sexual assault on a public road, and their relative was severely beaten after stepping in to defend them. The victims—a 22-year-old undergraduate student and her 24-year-old elder sister—were returning home by auto-rickshaw when they were intercepted by a group of youths on Monday, 7 September.
The incident began earlier in the afternoon when the sisters, accompanied by their 28-year-old brother-in-law, travelled to the Shaheed Ayatullah Bridge area in neighbouring Middle Nagar upazila. Whilst visiting the site, three local youths began verbally harassing and stalking the two women. The brother-in-law immediately intervened, confronting the harassers and sparking a heated argument. Following the altercation, the three youths recruited two additional accomplices and positioned themselves on motorcycles along the road near Altafpur village in Dharmapasha, waiting for the family to return.
At approximately 6:30 pm, as the family’s auto-rickshaw reached the Altafpur stretch, the group blocked the vehicle’s path. According to the police case statement, the men aggressively grabbed the women by their arms and clothing, attempting to physically assault them. When the brother-in-law again attempted to shield the sisters, the five youths, joined by several relatives, attacked him with wooden sticks, punches, and kicks. Hearing the women’s cries for help, nearby locals rushed to the scene, causing the assailants to flee. The injured man was subsequently taken to the local upazila health complex for medical treatment.
At around 9:30 pm that evening, the student lodged a formal complaint at Dharmapasha Police Station under the Prevention of Oppression Against Women and Children Act. The case named five primary suspects alongside seven to eight unidentified individuals. Conducting overnight raids around 3:00 am, officers arrested 48-year-old Mahbub from his residence in Altafpur village and detained a 17-year-old suspect from Berikandi village.
Sub-Inspector Shariful Islam of Dharmapasha Police Station confirmed that Mahbub was presented before the court on Tuesday morning, 8 September, and remanded to prison. The 17-year-old suspect was transferred to the Sunamganj Juvenile Court for appropriate legal proceedings. Law enforcement operations remain ongoing to track down and apprehend the remaining suspects involved in the attack.
