One held over rape of apparel worker over Padma River

Police on Thursday arrested a speedboat driver who, along with his helper, reportedly raped a readymade garments worker at a shoal of the Padma River in Munshiganj on Monday. The arrested was Rajib Company, son of Majid Company of Wari village in the Kumarvog union of Louhajang. According to police sources, the victim left for her husband’s house in Palashpur village under Kaunia upazila in Barisal on Saturday night around 10pm. By 12am, she had arrived at Kathalbari wharf by ferry on her way to Shimulia wharf of Louhajang, said M Anisur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Louhajang police station. As the ferry was delayed, some garment workers and other workers from Kartalbari Ferry wharf boarded the speedboat. When the boat arrived at Shimulia wharf, the other passengers paid their fixed fares. However, as the woman had no change other than a Tk500 note to pay the boat fare, speedboat driver Rajib asked her to wait for a short time at the terminal. After the other passengers had left, Rajib and his helper, Mithu, took the woman to a remote shoal of the river in Louhajang and violated her in turns. Subsequently, the two abandoned the woman back at Shimulia wharf and fled the scene. The victim filed a rape case against the duo with Louhajang police station on Monday morning.