The state’s lawyer has expressed satisfaction with the death sentence handed down to Sohel Rana and his wife Swapna Akhtar in the rape and brutal murder of an eight-year-old girl in Pallabi, Mirpur, in the capital. The lawyer for the accused also said they were satisfied with the verdict.
Judge Masrur Salehin of the Dhaka Metropolitan Child Violence Prevention Tribunal announced the verdict on Sunday. In addition to the death sentence, the court fined Sohel Rana Tk 500,000 and Swapna Tk 200,000.
State-appointed lawyer Musa Kalimullah, representing the accused, said, “The criminals have been brought to justice for their crimes. I am satisfied.” Reacting to the verdict, he added, “Sohel Rana confessed to his guilt and gave a statement in court. The court has announced the death sentence for Sohel and Swapna. We have received justice. The criminals have been brought to justice for their crimes. I am satisfied.”
Meanwhile, state lawyer Azizur Rahman Dulu commented that the verdict in this case is a milestone in the fight against crime. He said that the verdict in this case was completed in four working days. In that context, this verdict will be a milestone in the fight against such crimes. He also said, ‘We, the prosecution, are satisfied with this verdict.’
The state’s lawyer also said that the basic task of a state is to create a safe future for children. To protect children. When a terrible incident happens to a child, the state’s swift action to help complete the trial will certainly be a milestone.
The hearing of arguments between the state and the accused in this case concluded last Thursday. The court set June 7 as the date for announcing the verdict. The child was raped and murdered on May 19. Accordingly, the verdict was announced 19 days after the incident.
On the day of the incident (May 19), before the dismembered body of the child was recovered from a flat in a building in Pallavi, the accused Sohel, a resident of the flat, escaped by breaking the grill of the toilet. His wife Swapna Akhter was immediately arrested from the house. Sohel Rana was arrested from Fatulla, Narayanganj that evening.
The child’s father filed a case with Pallabi Police Station in this incident. On May 20, accused Sohel Rana and Swapna Akhter gave confessional statements in the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Aminul Islam Junaid. The tribunal framed charges against Sohel Rana and Swapna Akhter in this case on June 1 and ordered the trial to begin.
Disclaimer: In accordance with the Women and Children Abuse Prevention Act and Prothom Alo’s policies, the names and identities of the child and her parents have not been provided in this report.
