Tahirpur (Sunamganj) Correspondent

In a shocking incident, a drug-addicted man has been accused of raping his own daughter-in-law with the direct assistance of his son at Lalghat border village in Tahirpur upazila of Sunamganj.

The victim, a mother of two minor children, was admitted to the Tahirpur Upazila Health Complex on Wednesday morning for emergency medical treatment.

The accused individuals have been identified as the victim’s father-in-law, Abdul Ali, 58, also known as Abdul Ali Bhandari, son of the late Jabar Ali, and her husband, Hazrat Ali, 28. Both are residents of the Lalghat West Para area under North Sreepur union in the upazila.

According to a formal complaint lodged by the victim's father, a resident of the Lalghat cluster village, the incident occurred at around 11:00 PM on Tuesday. After consuming drugs together, the father-and-son duo entered the house, where Abdul Ali Bhandari made inappropriate propositions to his daughter-in-law, as he had allegedly done in the past. When she flatly rejected his advances, the father and son severely assaulted her. At one stage, with the active restraint and assistance of her husband, the father-in-law raped the woman.

When Abdul Ali attempted to assault her a second time, the victim managed to break free, leaving her two children behind. She fled through the back door of the house onto the Lalghat border road, crying out for help. Following the commotion, locals rushed to her aid. The victim was brought to Tahirpur later Tuesday night to seek legal assistance and medical evaluation.

The victim's father stated that his daughter was married to Hazrat Ali four years ago with mutual family consent, during which furniture worth BDT 100,000 was gifted. Problems arose when the father and son became deeply involved in drug trafficking and consumption. The father-in-law frequently subjected the woman to physical and mental torture while demanding BDT 200,000 in dowry, alongside making explicit propositions. Out of concern for her children's future, the victim had silently endured the abuse for years.

The father further revealed that his daughter had sought refuge at his house for ten days prior to the incident. On Tuesday morning, her husband's family, accompanied by village elders, assured that she would face no further dowry demands or abuse, prompting her return to her husband's home. The brutal assault and rape took place that very night.

When asked about the allegations on Wednesday, the accused Abdul Ali admitted that his son had previously been jailed in a foreign liquor smuggling case and is currently out on bail. However, he denied the rape allegations, claiming that they had merely beaten and disciplined the girl following a family feud.

Tahirpur Police Station OC Aminul Islam confirmed receiving the complaint. He stated that the victim has been advised to complete her primary medical care and undergo necessary forensic examinations at the One-Stop Crisis Center (OCC) of the Sunamganj District Sadar Hospital. The police chief assured that strict legal action will be taken upon completion of the official investigation.