Four sentenced to death in schoolgirl murder after rape

PBC News:  A court in Narayanganj has sentenced four accused to death by hanging and ordered life-term jail for another accused for killing a schoolgirl after gang rape at Fatullah in 2005.

The court also acquitted another accused as charges against her could not be proved.

District Women and Children Repression Prevetion Tribunal Judge Namul Huque Shyamol handed down the verdict on Tuesday morning.

The condemned convicts are Rabiul, Shukkur Ali, Kamrul Hasan, and Ali Akbar, while Dolly Begum was given life-term jail as she was found aiding and abetting the four condemned convicts.

Another accused Nasrin Akter was acquitted in the case.

Convicts Rabiul and Dolly Begum were absconding during the pronouncement of the verdict, while the rest were present at the court.

According to the case proceedings, Afsana Akter Nipa, a Class VI student of KM School of Muslim Nagar in Fatullah, went missing in the morning on May 3, 2005 from her paternal aunt’s house. Police, however, on May 4 found her body from a paddy filed at Boktaboli Luxminagar area.

It was learnt that three convicts–Rabiul, Shukkur and Kamrul Hasan– raped 11-year-old Nipa and then strangled her. At that time, Ali Akbar was a trawler driver at Boktaboli. Hearing the crying sound, he rushed to the paddy filed and saw three convicts were raping the girl. When Ali Akbar told the rapists that he would inform police about the rape, the three rapists threatened to kill him and rape his wife. Later, Ali Akbar was asked to rape the girl. But, witnessing worsening condition of her, he refrained from doing so.

The plaintiff’s counsel Advocate Saidul Hasan Sumon said the convicts later strangled the girl. Then the body was first taken to Dolly’s house and then to Nasrin’s house. But both the women, later, left the body at the paddy field. Then police recovered the body.

The victim’s father Akhter Hossain filed a murder and rape case. The court announced the verdict on Tuesday based on lengthy testimony and evidence