Two men accused of raping a woman in Magura sadar upazila were arrested by Rapid Action Battalion.

The arrested were identified as Zahidul Islam, son of Ashraf Hossain, and Asad Molla, son of Golam Rasul Molla of sadar upazila.

RAB arrested them on Monday night from Batika Bazar in sadar upazila. After the victim identified the perpetrators, they were handed over to sadar police station on Tuesday night, according to a media release of RAB-6.

The 45-year-old victim, who came to Magura with her husband to work as a farmhand, was gang raped by five youths at Jagla village in sadar upazila.

The rapists tied the man to a tree and violated the woman. The victim filed a case against five people on Sunday afternoon.

The miscreants also threatened the couple and told them to keep silent. But the couple informed the villagers about the ordeal and filed the case.

Bangladesh saw a sharp rise in sexual violence and rape incidents in recent months. Nearly 1,000 rape cases, including over 200 gang rapes, were reported between January and September, according to Ain O Salish Kendra.

But the actual number is thought to be higher since many victims of sexual violence do not report the assaults.

The gang rape of two women in Sylhet and Noakhali sparked countrywide protests last month, prompting the government to add death penalty as the highest punishment for rape.

The Women and Children Repression Prevention (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was cleared by the parliament on Nov 17.

According to Human Rights Watch, the conviction rate for rape in Bangladesh is below 1 per cent.

Marking the ‘International Day of Eliminating Violence Against Women’, foreign minister AK Abdul Momen on Wednesday said the government, under visionary leader Sheikh Hasina, is pledge-bound to build a safer society for women and girls.

‘Bangladesh government maintains a strong position against all forms of sexual violence against women and has adopted a multi-pronged strategy to counter this menace through socio-economic, legal, and technological interventions,’ the foreign minister said.