Woman Lured onto Boat with Promise of River Crossing and Gang-Raped in Abandoned School Building in Khulna; Three Arrested

A woman has allegedly been gang-raped in Terokhada, Khulna, after being lured onto a boat with the promise of being ferried across a river. According to police and local sources, the incident took place late on Monday night (20 October) in an abandoned building of an old primary school at Madhupur Shyamnagar in Terokhada upazila.

The victim is currently admitted to the One Stop Crisis Centre (OCC) of Khulna Medical College Hospital. On receiving the news, police rescued her from the scene and sent her to hospital.

Police have arrested three young men in connection with the incident. They are Samiul Sheikh (28), son of Mikail Sheikh of Madhupur village in Terokhada; Mazaharul Kazi (22), son of Md Alamgir Kazi of the same village; and Shahajahan Sharif (38), son of Ashraf Sharif.

According to police and locals, at around 12:30am the woman was waiting at Beleghat in No. 6 Madhupur Union of Terokhada upazila to cross the Khulna river to Dighalia. It was deep into the night and she was waiting alone for a crossing.

At that point, several fishermen offered to take her across the river. Trusting them, she boarded the boat. Instead of heading towards Dighalia, however, the boatmen took the boat to the abandoned building of the old primary school at Madhupur Shyamnagar.

It is alleged that she was raped inside that abandoned building. Alerted to the incident, police reached the spot, rescued her and sent her to the OCC of Khulna Medical College Hospital for treatment and necessary support.

Police later conducted a drive and detained Samiul Sheikh, Mazaharul Kazi and Shahajahan Sharif on suspicion of involvement in the incident. Legal proceedings against them have begun following the arrests.

Khulna District Superintendent of Police Sarkar Omar Faruk said three people involved in the incident have been arrested. He added that drives are continuing to arrest anyone else who may have been involved.

The targeting of a woman waiting to cross the river at night has spread anger and anxiety in the locality. According to local residents, the incident has once again raised questions about the safety of people travelling through the Beleghat area after dark.

Police say the process of filing a case against the three arrested men is under way, and steps are being taken to ensure the victim's treatment and legal support. Attention will now be on the progress of the investigation and whether the remaining suspects are caught.