Md. Rasel
Thanchi (Bandarban), CHT News
Friday, April 24, 2026
On April 23, 2026, a 12-year-old Mro Child was the
victim of an attempted rape by a Muslim Bengali hawker in Danroi Para, located
in Ward No. 1 of Thanchi Sadar Union (Union No. 3) under Thanchi Upazila in
Bandarban. Later, following the intervention of two intelligence officers, the
accused was reportedly released after paying a fine of only 10,000 taka. The
incident is reported to have taken place on Thursday morning.
The accused has been identified as Md. Rasel (32). His
permanent home is in Jessore district. According to local sources, he currently
resides in an area known as “Army Para” in Bandarban Sadar, where he operates a
scrap trading business.
According to local accounts, on the morning of April
23, Md. Rasel entered Danroi Para and began calling out to residents, asking to
buy old or broken items. Villagers informed him that no such items were
available and directed him toward a nearby area known as Khumi Para, showing
him the route. There were two paths from that point: one leading to Khumi Para
and another used by villagers to fetch water.
Instead of taking the route to Khumi Para, the accused
allegedly headed toward the more secluded water-collection area. At that time,
the victim, a Mro child, was alone collecting water.
Md. Rasel approached the child, claiming to be
thirsty, and asked for water. When she offered him water, he complained that it
was dirty and asked her to collect fresh water. As the child bent down to draw
water again, he allegedly attacked her. During the assault, he forcibly touched
her private parts and attempted to rape her. The child managed to escape and
ran back to the village, crying and shouting, and later informed local
residents of the incident.
After hearing about the incident, a young man from the
village went to the scene, apprehended the accused, and brought him under
control. Later that afternoon, when villagers returned from their jhum
cultivation work, they reported the matter to Rengchin Mro, the headman of
Mouza No. 362, seeking proper justice. He instructed them to bring the accused
before him but stated that he could not resolve the matter alone.
He then called a Bengali trader named Jashim from the
Thanchi market. Under the pretext of contacting the police, Jashim reportedly
contacted two intelligence officers instead, identified as Rajdul of DGFI and
Mannan of NSI. These officers allegedly instructed that the matter be settled
through a monetary fine of 10,000 taka. Following this directive, the accused
was released.
Many locals have expressed anger and dissatisfaction,
alleging that those responsible for upholding the law failed to ensure that a
suspect in a serious crime such as attempted rape was handed over to the formal
justice system.
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