A harrowing incident of gang-rape has been reported in Gazipur district, where a 35-year-old female garment worker was allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted while returning home from work. The attack, which occurred in Sreepur upazila of Gazipur, has triggered widespread concern following claims that local individuals attempted to suppress the case through informal arbitration and by pressuring the victim’s family not to approach the police.
According to the complaint filed by the victim herself at Gazipur’s Sreepur Police Station, the incident took place on the night of Tuesday, May 20. The woman, who is employed at a garment factory named CRC located in Gazipur, left work around 11 PM and boarded a battery-run auto-rickshaw to return home. At approximately 11:30 PM, she disembarked near a shop in Notun Potka village under Gosinga Union of Sreepur upazila, Gazipur, and began walking the short remaining distance to her home.
It was during this walk that three men, who had allegedly been lying in wait, intercepted her. The accused forcibly restrained her, gagged her with a cloth, and dragged her into a nearby Gajari forest. There, according to the survivor’s statement, she was gang-raped by the three individuals, who then threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the incident. In a state of trauma and fear, she managed to call her husband after the attackers left. Her husband promptly arrived at the location and took her home.
The following morning, the victim’s family sought justice by approaching the families of the alleged perpetrators. However, rather than finding support, they were met with threats. The accused’s families and some locals allegedly organized a salish, or informal village mediation, in an attempt to cover up the crime and discourage the victim from filing a police report. Members of the local community reportedly pressured the family not to take the matter to law enforcement.
Despite enduring threats and intimidation, the survivor’s husband eventually went to Gazipur’s Sreepur Police Station on the afternoon of Friday, May 23, and lodged a formal complaint. The case identifies three suspects by name: Al Amin (27), son of Said Ali; Shanto (25), son of Saiful Islam; and Sumon (26), son of Montaz Uddin—all residents of Notun Potka village in Gazipur.
Following the complaint, the Gazipur district police launched an investigation. Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md. Abdul Barik of Sreepur Police Station in Gazipur confirmed that the survivor herself had filed the case. “Upon receiving the complaint, we immediately formed two police teams to begin search operations for the accused,” OC Barik said.
He further stated that legal action will also be taken against those involved in obstructing justice through unlawful arbitration. “Those who attempted to suppress a serious criminal offense like gang-rape using a local salish will not be spared. We are investigating every angle,” he added.
The victim was sent to Gazipur’s Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital for a medical examination. “We are ensuring that she receives all necessary legal and medical support,” OC Barik said, stressing that the investigation is ongoing and that Gazipur police are committed to delivering justice.
Efforts to contact the accused through their mobile phones were unsuccessful, as all their numbers were found to be switched off. However, the Gazipur police authorities have assured that they are continuing active operations to locate and arrest the perpetrators.
This incident is the latest in a troubling series of reports involving violence against women in Gazipur, a district known for its large concentration of garment factories and a high number of female workers. Rights organizations have repeatedly called for stronger protection mechanisms for women in industrial zones like Gazipur, where the threat of gender-based violence remains alarmingly high.
As of now, no arrests have been made, but Gazipur law enforcement officials have pledged to intensify their efforts to bring the accused to justice. The survivor and her family remain under psychological and social strain, having not only suffered a brutal crime but also having faced community-level attempts to silence them.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the challenges survivors of sexual violence face—not only from their attackers but also from societal systems that too often prioritize silence and reputation over justice and human dignity in places like Gazipur.
Publication Date: 26 May, 2025
Reports published in various newspapers on this issue: banglatribune, ajkerpatrika, ittefaq, ntvbd, bdnews24, kalerkantho
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