Police have arrested a 63-year-old woman who filed a rape case against the imam and khatib of Patuakhali Model Mosque and two others, after the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) found no evidence supporting the allegations during its investigation.
The woman, identified as Jahanara Begum, was arrested by police from Patuakhali Sadar Police Station on Monday evening (September 21) based on a court-issued arrest warrant.
According to the case documents, Jahanara filed the case with the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal in Patuakhali on November 27, 2025.
The accused were identified as Tanvir Hossain, imam and khatib of Patuakhali Model Mosque, and mosque staff members Sabbir and Ahmadullah.
In the case statement, Jahanara alleged that her 12-year-old granddaughter used to attend Arabic classes at the Patuakhali Model Mosque.
She alleged that on the evening of November 12, 2025, the three accused took the child to a storeroom beside the maktab and raped her.
Following a court order, the PBI was assigned to investigate the case.
After visiting the alleged scene and questioning people concerned, the investigation officer submitted a report to the court. The report stated that the investigators found no information or evidence supporting the allegations made by the complainant.
Jahanara Begum later told police that she had filed the case after her two grandsons were detained over allegations of theft.
Tanvir Hossain, imam and khatib of the Model Mosque, said one of Jahanara’s grandsons had been detained with the help of local residents and handed over to police over an alleged theft of mosque property.
He alleged that a rape case was subsequently filed against the three of them. He also claimed that the PBI investigation found no evidence supporting the allegations.
Patuakhali Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Moniruzzaman said Jahanara Begum was arrested as an accused against whom an arrest warrant had been issued.
“She was the complainant in the case. The process of producing her before the court is underway,” the OC said.
