Dhaka, Jun 07 (V7N) – Proceedings for the verdict in the widely discussed rape and murder case of an eight-year-old child in Dhaka's Pallabi area began on Sunday morning, less than three weeks after the incident.
The verdict announcement started at 11:00 am at the Dhaka Metropolitan Child Violence Prevention Tribunal.
Earlier in the morning, at around 8:45 am, the two accused in the case, Sohel Rana and his wife Swapna Akhter, were brought from prison to the Dhaka Metropolitan Court premises in a prison van and later taken into the courtroom.
Security was tightened around the court ahead of the verdict, with additional police deployed throughout the premises. Members of various law enforcement agencies were seen on high alert to maintain order.
Judge Masrur Salekin of the Dhaka Metropolitan Child Violence Prevention Tribunal is delivering the verdict. The court fixed June 7 as the date for the judgment after hearing final arguments from both the prosecution and defense on Thursday.
The verdict is being delivered just 19 days after the crime, making it one of the fastest-resolved child murder cases in the country's judicial history.
State prosecutor Special Public Prosecutor Azizur Rahman Dulu said the prosecution had successfully proven the charges against Sohel Rana and Swapna Akhter through witness testimony and evidence presented before the court.
He expressed hope that the tribunal would hand down the maximum punishment, including the death penalty, to the accused.
However, state-appointed defense lawyer Musa Kalimullah argued that the allegations had not been sufficiently proven and said he expected the court to deliver justice based on the evidence presented.
According to investigators, the body of the school-going child was recovered from a flat in a residential building in Block-B of Section 11 in Pallabi on May 19.
Police alleged that Sohel Rana, 32, a resident of a neighboring flat, killed the child by slitting her throat before fleeing the scene by cutting through a window grill. His wife, Swapna Akhter, was reportedly present in the apartment at the time of the incident.
The victim's father later filed a murder case with Pallabi Police Station against two individuals. Sohel Rana was subsequently arrested from Fatullah in Narayanganj, while police said he later confessed to the crime and gave a statement before a court.
After a five-day investigation, Sub-Inspector Ahiduzzaman of Pallabi Police Station, the investigating officer in the case, submitted the charge sheet on May 24, naming Sohel Rana and Swapna Akhter as accused.
To expedite the proceedings, the case was transferred to the Child Violence Prevention Tribunal on the same day the charge sheet was submitted. On June 1, the tribunal formally framed charges and ordered the trial to begin.
The testimonies and cross-examinations of 16 witnesses, including family members, police officials, medical personnel and investigators, were completed within a single day. Following defense submissions and final arguments, the case advanced to the verdict stage.
The court's ruling is expected to bring closure to one of the most closely followed criminal cases in recent months.
END/SMA/AJ
