Police have detained six men in connection with the gang rape of a woman and her teenage daughter during a robbery in Cox’s Bazar’s newly formed Matamuhuri upazila early Tuesday, officials said.
The incident occurred around 2:30am, said Chakaria Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Monir Hossain.
The detainees have been identified as Rezaul Karim, 36, Tofazzal Hossain, 23, Kefaet Hossain, 27, Mohammad Tanzid, 24, Mehedi Hasan, 24, and Mohammad Tarek, 26. All six suspects are residents of the local area.
According to police and local residents, the victims—a woman whose husband works in Chittagong city, and her 15-year-old daughter—were at home alongside the woman's seven-year-old daughter when a gang of eight to ten robbers entered the residence.
"The perpetrators cut through the window grills to gain entry," said OC Monir. "After looting gold ornaments and cash from the wardrobes, they raped the woman and her teenage daughter."
Family members rushed to the scene immediately after the attackers fled.
"We found my sister and niece severely traumatized, sitting huddled in separate rooms," the victim's brother told reporters. "We rescued them and initially rushed them to the Chakaria Upazila Health Complex at around 4am. They were later transferred to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital for advanced treatment."
The 65-year-old mother of the housewife expressed shock over the brutality, stating that such an incident was unprecedented in the area. She demanded capital punishment for those responsible.
Law enforcement launched a pre-dawn raid following the incident, leading to the swift apprehension of the suspects.
"Police conducted an operation at dawn and detained six individuals," said the OC. "The victims have already positively identified four of the detainees as direct participants in the crime."
An investigation is ongoing, and operations are underway to apprehend the remaining suspects., added the OC.
