Two madrasa girls 'raped by boatmen' while crossing Arial Khan

Prothom Alo illustration
Prothom Alo illustration

Two madrasa girls were allegedly raped by two boatmen at Panchkhola in Sadar upazila of Madaripur on Monday night while crossing a river by a trawler, reports UNB.

One of the victims is a ninth grader while another a sixth grader at Zajira Dakhil Madrasa in the upazila.

Shaugatul Islam, officer-in-charge of Sadar police station, said the two neighbouring girls were returning from their respective maternal grandfathers’ houses in the district town.

They boarded the trawler around 9:30pm to cross the Arial Khan river. They were alone at the trawler at that time, he said.

Taking advantage of the situation, two boatmen -- Rubel, 25, son of a certain Nannu Molla of Panchkhola, and Masud Morol, 30, son of Jalil Morol of the same village -- raped them, said the OC.

A youth raped a girl in the trawler while another raped the other girl on the bank of the river before abandoning them, the OC said.

Later, locals found the girls lying on the bank and took them to Sadar Hospital.

Meanwhile, police arrested Rubel and Masud on Tuesday morning in connection with the incident.