The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)-3 on Thursday arrested three people for sexually harassing and physically assaulting a female journalist in the capital's Banasree area.
The arrestees are: the prime suspect Shoib Rahman Zishan (25), Md Raisul Islam (21), and Md Kausar Hossain (21).
Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police (Media) of RAB-3 Sanad Barua disclosed the matter to the media on Thursday.
He said that a case was filed with Rampura Police Station under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act on Wednesday night following widespread circulation of the incident on social media.
He said that acting on a tip off, RAB-3 swiftly launched an operation to locate the suspected criminals.
He said that Shoib Rahman Zishan was arrested from Meradia, Rampura in the city.
The RAB-3 official said that based on the information provided by Zishan, Md Raisul Islam was arrested at Bailey Road, and Md Kausar Hossain was detained from Gendaria area in the city.
He said that legal proceedings against the accused are underway at Rampura Police Station.
According to the victim and the concerned police station, the incident occurred at around 8:00 pm on Wednesday, when she was at a juice shop on Road 3, E-Block, Banasree, with her younger brother Rishad.
"A group of local youths started harassing me. When my brother protested, they attacked him. As I tried to intervene, they molested and assaulted me. They were acting as if they had the right to do so. Even after the assault, they arrogantly said, 'Yes, we raped you, what will you do about it?'" she said.
She later posted about the incident on Facebook and shared images of the attackers.
In the post, she described how the suspects threatened her, physically assaulted both her and her brother, and verbally abused her in front of onlookers.
She (the victim) urged authorities to ensure swift justice.
She said that women should feel safe in their own neighbourhoods without fear of harassment or violence.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com
