I have committed a crime, so has Dollar, arrest him: Sohel

A Dhaka court has concluded the hearing for the defendants’ self-defence in a case filed over the brutal murder of an eight-year-old child following rape in the capital’s Pallabi.

During the hearing, primary accused, Sohel Rana, begged the court for clemency. He claimed that an individual named Dollar was also involved in the incident and demanded his arrest.

Meanwhile, the other accused in the case, Sohel’s wife Swapna Akhter, maintained her innocence.

The Metropolitan Child Violence Suppression Tribunal in Dhaka conducted the self-defence hearing today, Wednesday.

Following the conclusion of this hearing, Judge Masrur Salekin scheduled the closing arguments for tomorrow, Thursday. Pankaj Peter Gomes, the bench assistant of the respective court, confirmed this to Prothom Alo.

Authorities produced Sohel and Swapna from prison to the court premises on Wednesday morning and held them in the court lock-up.

Around 10:45 am, officers brought Sohel to the courtroom, followed by Swapna at 11:00 am. The judge ascended the bench at 11:10 am, after which the judicial proceedings commenced.

Addressing the accused, Sohel, the judge stated that 16 witnesses had testified against him in this case. The court then read out the charges leveled against Sohel alongside the depositions of the witnesses.

When the court inquired whether Sohel had any statement to make, he stood in the dock and said, "I am innocent, sir. Please arrest Dollar, who was with me. I am not saying I am innocent; I have committed a crime, and Dollar has committed a crime too... Please forgive me, I have a child."

At this point, Sohel spoke regarding his wife stating, "My wife is completely innocent, sir."

Subsequently, the court addressed Swapna, noting that according to the charges brought against her and the testimonies of the witnesses, she was equally culpable in the crime. The court then asked her to share any statement she might have.

The accused Swapna told the court, "I did not do anything; I am innocent."

Following the conclusion of the self-defence hearing, prosecutor Azizur Rahman Dulu petitioned the court to schedule the closing arguments for tomorrow, Thursday. The court granted the request.

On 19 May, authorities recovered the dismembered body of the child from a third-floor flat of a building in Pallabi. Following the incident, Sohel, a resident of the flat, broke the toilet window and fled.

The police detained his wife from the residence immediately, and later that evening, they arrested Sohel from Fatullah in Narayanganj.

The child's father filed a case with the Pallabi police station regarding the incident. Sohel subsequently gave a confessional statement in court.

According to the police, he confessed to murdering the child after raping her. Yesterday, Wednesday, 16 witnesses testified in this case.