What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
A deeply disturbing allegation of armed assault, gang rape, looting and intimidation has emerged from Gafargaon in Mymensingh District, where a ninth-grade student was allegedly held hostage at the point of a weapon while his mother was sexually assaulted by a group of youths.
The incident had reportedly occurred at around 8 p.m. on September 17, at the home of an expatriate worker. Police have detained one suspect Rajib, while four other alleged accomplices remain at large.
According to the case statement and accounts cited by police and local sources, five young men, including 23-year-old Sharif Mia and 21-year-old Arif Mia, had arrived at the house and initially asked for water and an axe.
When the ninth-grade boy approached the door with water, the attackers allegedly threatened him with a weapon and took him hostage. They then entered the house, where they vandalised property and ransacked the premises.
The family accuses them of stealing approximately 500,000 BDT kept for construction of the house, along with gold jewellery and other valuables.
Police have indicated that, according to the victim’s complaint, two of the five accused were directly involved in the alleged sexual assault while the others remained outside.
The victim further alleges that Rajib recorded the assault on a mobile phone and subsequently threatened to distribute the footage on social media unless an additional 200,000 BDT was paid within three days.
Neighbours reportedly responded after hearing screams and alerted police. Officers launched an operation during the night and detained Rajib in an isolated area roughly one kilometre from the scene. Police say he threw the mobile phone allegedly used to record the incident into water during the arrest. The mobile phone was later recovered by investigators.
Mymensingh Additional Superintendent of Police Montosh Biswas assured local residents that all allegations are being investigated. Police are also examining the alleged video, while medical evidence and other information are being assessed to establish the facts.
The case now demands a rigorous, evidence-based investigation. The survivor’s allegations must be fully examined, the evidence preserve and every person found responsible should be held accountable. Above all, the investigation must ensure that neither intimidation nor the threat of digital exposure becomes another weapon against the victim.
The Gafargaon allegations are not without a disturbing precedent. In August 2024, a Hindu woman in Goppagla village of Paikgacha was gang-raped by a group of 8–10 Muslim men and attacked on the head with a bladed weapon in an attempt to kill her. She survived the assault, but she and her family were subsequently left without meaningful protection or recourse.
Even more chillingly, local sources claim that well-wishers of the family were forced to pay the alleged perpetrators simply so that the survivor and her family could continue living in their own home and community.
