Student sexually assaulted on moving bus in Dhaka

A bus driver was arrested by police in Dhaka on Wednesday on charge of sexually assaulting a female student on a moving bus in the city.

Additional deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Kudrat-e-Khuda on Thursday said they arrested Mahbubur Rahman, driver of a Bikash Paribahan bus, from Ashulia in the city on Wednesday.

According to police, the victim boarded a bus of Bikash Paribahan at about 8.30pm from Dhanmondi to go to her house in Azimpur on July 24. She fell asleep on the bus while listening to music, plugging headphones on her ears.

Around 9:10pm, the victim felt that someone was touching her body. She woke up and found the bus was deserted and the helper of the bus was sitting next to her. The helper grasped the victim’s mouth when she tried to cry for help. She stood up and asked the driver to stop the bus. But the driver increased the speed instead of stopping the bus.

Finally, the victim jumped off the running bus to escape near Azimpur Girls School.

Later, she wrote a post on Facebook from where Lalbagh Police Station came to know the matter.

About the incident, the victim in a Facebook post writes, “The area where I jumped off it remains almost empty even in day time. The whole area was seen empty at 9.00pm as there was load shedding there at that time.”

She further said, “I have been thinking since the incident, no one could have heard my screams. I am thinking about that how I jumped from the bus. I feel frightened when remember it.

Based on information collected from the victim, Lalbagh Police Station seized the bus and arrested its driver by using modern technology.

A case has been registered with Lalbagh Police Station in this connection.

Police said that an operation is underway to arrest the bus helper.