Five men were arrested Tuesday night over gang-raping two women and beating up their two male companions in Barisal city.  
Of the five, four are mini-bus drivers and one is a supervisor of the local passenger service Seba Paribahan. They have been remanded in judicial custody.
The complainant, Mehedi Hasan, is also a Seba Paribahan driver. According to him, the incident happened on the night of January 23, when he arrived at Barisal Nathulabad bus terminus along with his wife Lima Aktar, sister-in-law Ishita Aktar, and friend Ariful Islam Masud, who is also a supervisor of Seba Paribahan. It was around 2.15 am.  
They were supposed to go to Chakhar. They met five other drivers and the supervisor at the terminus. The six men allegedly offered them a lift to Chakhar in Banaripara on a mini-bus.
However, once the bus started, the accused allegedly attacked Hasan and Masud. After beating them up, they allegedly gang-raped Lima and Ishita as the bus was driven from the bus terminus to Ram Patty in the city’s Airport thana area.
The incidents allegedly took place between 2.15 am and 5.30 am. The victims were allegedly released at the bus stand on the morning of January 24. Hasan and Masud apparently lodged a complaint with Minibus Shramik Union secretary Mostofa Kama, who did not take any action against the accused and allegedly suspended Hasan and Masud instead.
Finally, around 2.05 am yesterday, Hasan filed a gang-rape complaint against the six accused at Airport Police Station under Barisal Metropolitan Police. Rezaul Islam, officer-in-charge of Airport Police Station, said senior officials of the Barisal Metropolitan Police held a meeting and launched a drive to arrest the accused.
On Tuesday night itself, they could arrest four drivers—Roni Mridha, Tareq Hosen, Sujan Kumar Mitro, and Nasir Chaprashi—and supervisor Debasis Saha. The fifth accused, driver Md Mijan, managed to escape.
Police sent the five arrested men to the Barisal metropolitan court yesterday afternoon. Magistrate MD Rafiqul Islam recorded their statement under Section 164 and later sent them to Barisal Central Jail.