None was arrested and no charge was framed against the suspected killers.

Mahmuda Khatun, 32, of Alaipur village in Rupsa upazila, Khulna was kidnapped by miscreants who brought her at Hatuni village in Kalaroa upazila on February 15 last year. On the same night she was gang-raped and strangled by them.

On May 15, after three months police filed a case with Kalaroa thana and after investigation police submitted charge-sheet accusing Hafizul Islam, Lily Begum, Abdul Kashem, Dr Mairr Uddin, Dr Abdul Bari and a nurse named Asia Khatun under the Women and Children Repression Preventive Act on September 28. But police failed to nab the accused.

Morzina Begum, 28, a divorced housewife of Goalpara village in Kalaroa upazila was gang-raped and strangled by miscreants on April 1, 2003.

The body of the victim was recovered from a beel (water body) in the area on the following morning. A case was filed with Kalaroa thana.

No progress was made till then after eight months of the incident, it is alleged. Police failed to find any clue or arrest the culprits. The fate of the case is uncertain, the victim's relatives said.

On the night of July 7, Aleya Khatun, 25, a divorced landless housewife of Sowabaria village in Kalaroa upazila was killed after being gang-raped.

The body was recovered from the bank of the river Sonai on the following morning. A case was filed with Kalaroa thana but police could not find motive of Aleya's murder even after five months of the incident. They could not arrest the killers also. The Investigation Officer (IO) of the case has failed to frame any charge against the killer.

On October 10, Habibur Rahman, 14, son of Hazrat Ali of Bhadiali, a bordering village under Kalaroa upazila was abducted by miscreants. The body of the victim was recovered from an unused latrine at Hakimpur village situated on the opposite side of Bhadiali village in Swarupnagar thana in 24 Parganas district, India on October 17. The Indian Border Security Force (BSF) handed over the body to the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) after a flag meeting.

The victim's father Hazrat Ali filed a case with Kalaroa thana accusing Manirul Islam, Romjan Ali, Absaruddin, Hafezuddin and Tamezuddin of Bhadiali village. But police failed to arrest the suspected killers during the period. Even they failed to frame any charge against them.

On contact, Officer-in-Charge of Kalaroa thana Golam Kibria, told this correspondent that due to lack of witness, the charge framing is being delayed. "But we hope to finish our task within a couple of months," he said.