4 held over alleged gang rape of schoolgirl in Chattogram

Police have arrested four people over the alleged gang rape of a ninth-grade schoolgirl in a hilly area of Satkania in Chattogram.

The alleged incident took place yesterday (14 May) afternoon in the upazila's hilly area. Police later arrested four suspects from different parts of the upazila after a case was filed over the incident that night.

Ariful Islam Siddiqui, additional superintendent of police (Satkania Circle), told TBS that four individuals involved in the incident were arrested during a raid after receiving the information.

"The arrestees have primarily confessed to their involvement. Operations are ongoing to arrest the remaining three people involved in the incident," he added.

According to police and the case statement, the schoolgirl had gone to a nearby hilly area with another teenage girl on Wednesday afternoon. While returning home, seven workers of a fish farm allegedly intercepted them and forcibly took the two girls to a secluded part of the hills.

The accused then allegedly took the ninth-grade student deeper into the hills and raped her one after another.

During the incident, the teenage girl who accompanied the victim was allegedly confined to one side of the hill. She was also reportedly sexually harassed.

Police said the victim's father later filed a case with Satkania Police Station under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, naming seven accused.

Of the four arrested, one is a 16-year-old minor. The other three are Md Rakib, 20, Md Manik Islam, 20, and Abdur Rahim, 19.

Following the incident, both the alleged rape survivor and the teenage girl who reportedly faced sexual harassment were sent to the One-Stop Crisis Centre (OCC) at Chattogram Medical College Hospital with police assistance.

Earlier on Wednesday night, the schoolgirl was first treated at Satkania Upazila Health Complex after she fell ill.