The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has revealed that the brutal sexual assault of a woman in Muradnagar, Cumilla — and the subsequent circulation of its video on social media — was a premeditated act stemming from a bitter family conflict rather than a random attack.
At a press briefing held on Friday at the RAB Media Centre in Karwan Bazar, RAB-11 commander Lieutenant Colonel HM Sajjad Hossain said Shah Paran, 28, had orchestrated the crime to take revenge on his elder brother, Fazar Ali, following a longstanding personal dispute.
According to investigators, Shah Paran recruited accomplices, formed a mob, and arranged to torture and molest the victim as part of a scheme to frame his brother. They filmed the incident and shared it on social media, causing public outrage.
RAB arrested Shah Paran on Thursday night from the Kabila Bazar area under Burichang police station in Cumilla. A mobile phone was seized from his possession.
Lieutenant Colonel Sajjad Hossain explained that Fazar and Shah Paran, sons of Shahid from Baherchar village, had been harassing the victim for some time. Their conflict escalated two months ago when Fazar publicly slapped Shah Paran during a village arbitration, fuelling a desire for revenge.
On the night of June 26, while the victim’s parents attended a religious fair nearby, Fazar Ali entered the woman’s bedroom around 11:30 pm on the pretext of collecting interest on a loan he had given to the victim’s mother. Moments later, Shah Paran, together with Abul Kalam, Anik, Arif, Suman, Ramzan, and 8–10 other unidentified accomplices, forced their way into the house, tortured and sexually assaulted the woman, and recorded a video of the attack.
RAB said Shah Paran used messaging app imo to mobilise the group and coordinate the assault.
Following the incident, the accused went into hiding. Acting on technological surveillance and intelligence, RAB arrested Shah Paran, who confessed during initial questioning to orchestrating the crime to settle scores with his brother.
Shah Paran is being prepared for handover to Muradnagar police, while efforts to arrest the remaining suspects continue.
The victim, a resident of Baherchar village, filed a case with Muradnagar Police Station on June 29 under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act and the Pornography Control Act.
So far, six suspects have been arrested, including Fazar Ali, who was detained from Sayedabad in Dhaka on June 29 and is now receiving treatment under police custody at Cumilla Medical College Hospital.
Meanwhile, the High Court has directed the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission to remove all video footage circulating online and ordered authorities to ensure security and medical support for the victim. The investigating authorities were asked to submit a progress report by July 14.