A girl studying in eighth grade went to Shyamoli from her house on Taj Mahal Road in Mohammadpur on May 11. Talking to a friend, when he reached Mohammadpur ring road in a rickshaw, a miscreant stopped a car and scared him into the car. Then the girl was raped inside the car.
Later, the miscreant called the girl’s mother and demanded five thousand rupees. He threatened to cause great damage if he did not get the money. The mother immediately sent two thousand taka to the mobile phone to rescue her daughter. After receiving the money, the miscreant dropped the girl on Taj Mahal Road and left.
In this incident, the girl’s mother filed a rape case and the police of Mohammadpur police station arrested the miscreant on May 17. The name of this miscreant is Nazmul Hossain. While looking for Nazmul’s criminal record, the police of Mohammadpur police station came to know that Nazmul was involved in the crime of gang rape even a century ago. The first rape case was filed against him in 2012. Six cases have been filed against Nazmul in the span of an era. Three cases of rape. After getting bail in the rape case, Nazmul again got involved in a new crime.
Three investigating police officers told Prothom Alo that although there were three cases of rape, many more women were victims of Nazmul. Nazmul admitted that during the interrogation.
The women victims have alleged in the case that Nazmul intimidated them and picked them up in the car and took them to a secluded place and raped them inside the car. Apart from this, two other women were taken into the car after being threatened by the police and robbed of money and gold ornaments.
Investigating Officer Mohammadpur Police Station Deputy Inspector (SI) Anik Bhakta told Prothom Alo that they identified Nazmul on the basis of taking money from Bikash. Later he was arrested along with the car in Khilkhet area. The police came to know that Nazmul has been committing such crimes in the capital for a long time. On June 2, the Mohammadpur police station informed the court that for a long time, Nazmul has been using cars to abduct and rape students from various schools and colleges in the city.
Police officials said, Nazmul does not stay in one place for long. After getting involved in a new crime, he changed his home. He is involved in many scandals against women including having multiple marriages.
Mahmuda Akhtar, the government counsel of Dhaka’s Number 3 Women and Child Torture Prevention Tribunal, told Prothom Alo that it is unimaginable for women to be picked up and raped inside the car by Uber or hired cars. If such a criminal is out of jail, any woman can be in danger at any time. In the rape cases in which Nazmul has already been accused, the state will take strong steps to ensure his punishment by proving the case in the court.
Dhaka’s ‘serial rapist’ Nazmul
Before raping the girl in Mohammadpur last March, Nazmul took another woman (25) in a car and molested her in various ways. A case was filed in Mirpur police station on March 19. According to the police report, the woman lives with her family in Kalyanpur of the capital. When the woman came to the road in front of Kalyanpur Model Government Primary School on March 1, a car stopped her. Two men got down from the car and identified themselves as members of the Detective Police (DB) and picked up the woman in the car. They threatened to take off the woman’s clothes and make a video. Later, they took away 1 lakh 40 thousand taka from the young woman and dropped her at Adabar and left.
The investigating officer of the case, Deputy Inspector (SI) of Mirpur Model Police Station, Bayezid Molla told Prothom Alo that with the permission of the court, he remanded Nazmul Hossain and interrogated him for two days. During the interrogation, Nazmul admitted that for a long time, he had sexually assaulted many women in the car under the false identity of DB.
Earlier, in 2022, the police found evidence of Nazmul’s involvement in the gang rape of a woman in a car from Bhashantek area of the capital. According to the information in the charge sheet submitted to the court, on July 11, 2022, a young woman (22) came in front of Navy Market in Bhashantek. Then Nazmul and his two accomplices took the girl and raped her inside the car. Later, he took Tk 10,000 from the girl’s father and dropped it at Rampura.
Inspector Abul Hasnat Khandkar of Bhashantek Police Station, the investigating officer of the case, told Prothom Alo that Nazmul, who grew up in Dhaka, is a serial rapist. He picked up and raped many young women when he got a chance under the cover of driving in the city. A few victimized young women filed a case at the police station. Many did not sue.
Police officer Abul Hasnat Khandkar said, he interrogated Nazmul closely. Nazmul is a professional criminal. He hides the information of the crime and drives by renting a new car.
A man named Aminul Ehsan was in danger by renting a car to Nazmul. He said to Prothom Alo, Nazmul used to rent his car and drive Uber three months ago. A written agreement is also made. Later, the police arrested Nazmul on the charge of rape inside the car and seized the car as well. Now the vehicle is in police custody.
According to the statement of the case made in Darussalam police station in 2020, Nazmul and his accomplice Saiful and others picked up a 25-year-old woman in a car and extorted Tk 15,000 from her. However, the lawyer of the accused Arifur Rahman Khan told Prothom Alo that Saiful and Nazmul are innocent.
President of Bangladesh Women Lawyers Association Salma Ali told Prothom Alo that the person who has been picking up and raping women in a car for an age is definitely a ‘serial rapist’. Against whom there are three rape cases, each of which is alleged, he raped her in a car. Exemplary punishment of such criminals should be ensured.