A readymade garment (RMG) worker was allegedly gang-raped by two local men in Manpura upazila, Bhola, after her fiancé was beaten and forcibly restrained on the Meghna river embankment early Friday.
The incident occurred around 2:20 am in the Taltoli area of Char Goalia union. The 18-year-old victim, from Sunamganj, and her fiancé, Sajib Hossain, from Manpura, work at a Dhaka garment factory and had returned to Manpura for pre-wedding arrangements. Their wedding was scheduled for January 15.
According to police and the victim’s statement, a group of local influential men accused the couple of having an “illicit relationship” and demanded Tk 200,000, threatening to harm or hand them over to authorities. When the couple could not pay, the men allegedly forced them out of the house. While pretending to help the girl board a launch, they detained Sajib and took the victim to an abandoned embankment, where Alamin and Maksud raped her while others beat Sajib and assisted in the crime.
The victim was later rescued after Sajib escaped and raised an alarm. A case has been filed against five named and three to four unidentified individuals. Police are conducting raids to arrest the suspects, and the victim has been sent to Bhola Sadar Hospital for medical examination.
