Four sentenced to death, three to life in separate rape and murder cases
The verdicts were delivered yesterday (20 July) by different courts.
Courts in Magura, Chuadanga, Chattogram and Jamalpur have sentenced four people to death and three others to life imprisonment in separate cases involving the rape and murder of children, murder linked to attempted rape, dowry-related killing, and sexual violence.
The verdicts were delivered yesterday (20 July) by different courts, with judges delivering the maximum punishment in several cases involving serious crimes against women and children.
In Magura, the District and Sessions Court sentenced Hasan Sheikh, 28, to death for raping and killing a teenage girl in 2022.
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According to the prosecution, Razia Khatun, a Class VI student, went missing after leaving her home on 17 March 2022. Her body was later recovered near a bamboo grove beside a river on the same day. Her father filed a case with Sreepur Police Station, and police arrested Hasan two days later.
In Chuadanga, the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal sentenced Abul Hossain alias Fatik, 29, to death for the rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl in Jibannagar upazila in 2023. Judge Md Moktagir Alam also fined him Tk2 lakh.
The victim, Mariam Khatun, daughter of van driver Iqbal Hossain, went missing on 21 December 2023 while collecting vegetables in a field. According to the prosecution, Abul lured her into a nearby maize field and later killed her.
The investigation found him to be the lone accused. During the trial, he gave a confessional statement, while DNA tests also confirmed his involvement.
In Chattogram, the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-2 sentenced Md Rubel, 35, to death for the rape and murder of 10-year-old Abida Sultana Ayni in Pahartali in 2023.
Judge Saifur Rahman also awarded him life imprisonment and 10 years' rigorous imprisonment under separate charges, along with a fine of Tk5,000.
According to the prosecution, Rubel lured the child into an abandoned building with the promise of giving her a kitten before killing her and concealing her body in a waterbody.
The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) later recovered the body based on information provided by him. He also gave a confessional statement before the court.
In another case in Jamalpur, the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-1 sentenced Md Hafizul alias Afzal, 37, to death for murdering his wife over dowry demands. He was also fined Tk5 lakh.
The court found Hafizul guilty of killing his wife Hanufa Begum in 2012 after repeated demands for additional dowry.
Meanwhile, three men: Shamim, Shipon and Jalal Mia were sentenced to life imprisonment in Jamalpur for abducting and raping an SSC examinee. The court also fined each of them Tk1 lakh.
