Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) investigation into the 2020 murder of retired Major Sinha Mohammad Rashed Khan has uncovered allegations that former Teknaf police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Pradeep Kumar Das systematically abducted, raped and tortured dozens of women while framing them in fabricated yaba cases, according to the investigation and multiple witness accounts.

The allegations, many of which resurfaced following the Sinha murder investigation, portray what victims, witnesses and investigators describe as a pattern of abuse that allegedly continued throughout Pradeep's tenure in Teknaf.

According to the investigation, victims' families and local residents alleged that Pradeep and his associates picked up more than 50 women from their homes after branding them yaba traffickers, detained them for days or weeks, threatened them with so-called "crossfire" killings, repeatedly raped them, and later produced them before court in narcotics cases.

The allegations had largely remained buried after the Sinha killing despite widespread reports that Pradeep's tenure was marked by 161 alleged "crossfire" deaths and extensive extortion, as few victims came forward to file formal complaints.

Several women gave harrowing accounts of the alleged abuse.

One housewife from Teknaf's Nazirpara alleged that after police detained her husband and demanded Tk 4.5 million for his release, she went to the police station carrying Tk 300,000 in cash and gold jewellery. Instead of securing her husband's release, she alleged she was detained for three days and repeatedly raped by Pradeep and others. She said her husband's bullet-riddled body was found the following day and that she was threatened with the murder of her entire family if she disclosed the assault.

Another woman from Hnila alleged she was detained after being falsely accused of yaba trafficking, repeatedly raped by Pradeep and armed associates over three days, subjected to severe torture, and later jailed in a narcotics case. A member of her family claimed six women from the same family suffered similar abuse.

Another family alleged that a 17-year-old college student who had initially been gang-raped by several men was subsequently detained by Pradeep, who allegedly accepted money from the accused, repeatedly raped the girl himself and later implicated her in a yaba case.

In another case, relatives of a man allegedly killed in a staged "gunfight" claimed that when his daughter and sister sought justice in court, they were abducted, held at the police station for five days, gang-raped and later charged in narcotics cases.

The investigation also cites testimony from Mohammad Yusuf, a former inmate who served as a medical writer at Cox's Bazar District Jail.

Yusuf said he treated numerous female inmates who claimed they had been raped by Pradeep before being jailed on yaba charges. According to his account, many women described prolonged detention, repeated sexual assaults and brutal physical torture before their imprisonment.

He recalled one 16-year-old girl who allegedly said she had been held at Teknaf police station for 15 days, repeatedly raped by Pradeep and other police personnel, tortured after each assault, and eventually sent to jail on fabricated drug charges. Yusuf said she later became critically ill and required treatment at Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital.

He said nearly 50 women sought medical treatment after alleging rape by Pradeep, while at least 17 survivors gave accounts he "still cannot forget."

Local journalists told investigators they had long been aware of the allegations but remained silent out of fear for their lives. They alleged that attractive young women were frequently picked up on false yaba accusations, detained for days, sexually assaulted and later produced before court in drug cases.

Senior lawyer Mohammad Abdul Mannan said he had heard from victims' families that several women allegedly raped by Pradeep were imprisoned while pregnant. He said authorities could still pursue legal action even if victims did not file individual cases.

Cox's Bazar district Awami League organising secretary Naznin Sarwar Kaberi said she had personally visited the homes of numerous alleged victims and urged a judicial inquiry, saying many families remained unwilling to file cases because of fear and social stigma.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Khairul Islam, the investigating officer in the Major Sinha murder case, confirmed that RAB received allegations from numerous women accusing Pradeep of bringing them to the police station and sexually assaulting them.

"We also received allegations from many women that they were brought to the police station by OC Pradeep and subjected to sexual abuse. These matters have been included in the charge sheet. The court may take action if it deems appropriate," he said.

Pradeep was convicted and sentenced to death in the Major Sinha murder case in 2022. The rape allegations have not yet resulted in separate criminal proceedings, although investigators and legal experts say the evidence documented during the Sinha investigation could provide the basis for further prosecution.

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