A case has been filed with Ukhiya Police Station against two shopkeepers accused of assaulting and molesting a woman following a dispute over exchanging a purchased saree.
According to police, the woman, Dipu Barua (49), of West Ratna, Ukhiya, filed the complaint on Thursday night. The accused are Abdul Haque (40) and Mohammad Hashem alias Lulu (63), owners of Jahanara Cloth Store at Chowdhury Market, Kotbazar.
The incident occurred on 8 July when Dipu returned to exchange a saree she had purchased the previous day. A quarrel ensued, during which the shopkeepers allegedly beat and molested her. She received treatment at Ukhiya Health Complex before being transferred to Cox’s Bazar District Hospital. Dipu alleged she was kicked in the chest and dragged out of the shop by her hair, partially disrobed. Her daughter and sister-in-law were also verbally abused.
Her family claims local influential individuals and the shop owners' association are pressuring them to withdraw the case. Police are investigating, and efforts to arrest the accused are ongoing.
