A court has sentenced three people to death for the gang rape and murder of a teenage girl in Keraniganj, Dhaka three years ago.
The convicts are Sajib (25) of Kholamora village in Keraniganj, Rakib (23) of Khankanda village in Bhanga upazila of Faridpur, and Shaon alias Valka Shaon (26) of Palang police station in Shariatpur.
State prosecutor Ershad Alam George said that in addition to the death sentence, they have been sentenced to seven years in prison and a fine of Tk 10,000 each for the disappearance of the body, and one year of simple imprisonment in default. The tribunal has ordered the Dhaka District Magistrate to collect the fine money from the immovable/movable properties of the accused and deposit it in the state treasury.
Accused Ali Akbar (22) and Riaz (22) in the case were acquitted as the charges against them were not proven.
Before the verdict was announced, the three accused Rakib, Riaz and Shaon, who were in jail, were presented to the tribunal. After the verdict, the convicted Rakib and Shaon were sent to jail with a sentence warrant. Since the convicted Sajib was absconding, the court issued an arrest warrant along with a sentence warrant against him.
According to the case documents, on June 11, 2022, the police learned through the national emergency service 999 that a person’s body was floating in the pond in front of the West Bamansur Mosque. After the body was recovered, one of his friends identified the body. Later, the police arrested Shaon.
Shaon said in his statement in the court that he, Rakib, Sajib and Ali Akbar raped and strangled the girl to death. Later, the body was thrown into the pond in front of the West Bamansur Mosque. Later, Rakib and Sajib were arrested. They also gave their statements in the court saying the same thing.
After the investigation of the case, SI Alok Kumar Dey of Keraniganj Model Police Station filed a chargesheet against five people in the court on September 30, 2023. Later, the trial began after filing a complaint against the accused. The tribunal announced the verdict on Tuesday after taking the testimonies of 19 people.
