Death sentence for two convicts in Pallabi child rape and murder case
A court has sentenced Sohel Rana and his wife Swapna Akhter to death for the rape and brutal murder of an eight-year-old child in Pallabi, Dhaka. The court also imposed fines of Tk 500,000 on Sohel Rana and Tk 200,000 on Swapna Akhter.
Judge Masrur Salekeen of the Dhaka Metropolitan Children Violence Suppression Tribunal took the bench at 11:00 am today, Sunday and delivered the verdict.
Earlier in the morning, the accused were brought from prison in a prison van and kept in the holding cell of the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court.
The main accused, Sohel Rana, was taken from the prison van and placed in the holding cell under police security at 8:50 am, while the co-accused, Swapna Akhter, was brought in at 8:30 am.
The prosecution and defense completed their closing arguments last Thursday. After the arguments, the court fixed 7 June for delivering the verdict. The child was raped and murdered on 19 May, meaning the judgment was delivered just 19 days after the incident.
During Thursday’s hearing, the state prosecutor identified Sohel Rana as the primary offender and demanded the maximum punishment under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.
Citing alleged assistance and failure to prevent the crime, the prosecutor also sought punishment for Swapna Akhter. The testimony of the victim’s parents was also presented in court.
On the day of the incident (19 May), the accused Sohel Rana, a resident of the apartment where the crime took place, allegedly escaped by breaking the grille of a bathroom window before the child’s dismembered body was recovered from the flat.
His wife, Swapna Akhter, was detained from the apartment at that time. Later that evening, Sohel Rana was arrested from Fatullah in Narayanganj. The victim’s father filed a case at Pallabi Police Station.
On 20 May, both accused gave confessional statements before the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Aminul Islam Junaid in Dhaka. On 1 June, the tribunal framed charges against them and ordered to begin the trial. After completion of witness testimony, defense arguments, and closing arguments, the court set the date for the verdict.
State prosecutor Azizur Rahman Dulu told Prothom Alo, “We have demanded the maximum punishment for the accused under the law. The tribunal will deliver its verdict at its own discretion.”
Note: In accordance with the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act and Prothom Alo’s editorial policy, the identity and names of the child and her parents have not been disclosed in this report.