Raintree rape case verdict on Thursday

PBC News: A court in Dhaka will deliver its verdict on Thursday (November 10) in a case filed over the alleged rape of two private university students at the Raintree Hotel at Banani in the city.

Begum Mosammat Kamrunnahar, judge of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-7 of Dhaka, will deliver the verdict.

Judge Begum Mosammat Kamrunnahar was scheduled to deliver the verdict on October 27 but all proceedings at lower courts were suspended on the day following the death of veteran lawyer Abdul Baset Mazumder. Later, the judge set November 11 to deliver the judgement.

Earlier, judge Kamrunnahar fixed October 12 last to deliver the verdict. As she fell sick, the pronouncement of the verdict was later deferred to October 27.

Following the conclusion of placing arguments by the public prosecutor and the defendants’ lawyers on October 3, the court fixed October 12 to deliver the judgement rejecting the bail pleas of the accused and sending them them to jail.

Defendants in the case are Shafat Ahmed, son of Apan Jewellers co-owner Dilder Ahmed, Shafat’s friend Shadman Sakif, director of Regnum Group, Nayem Ashraf, an employee of E-Makers Event Management, Shafat’s driver Billal Hossain and bodyguard Rahmat Ali.

Two private university students were repeatedly raped at gunpoint at a birthday party from 9:00pm on March 28, 2017 to 10:00am on the following day at the Raintree Hotel in the city’s Banani.

Later on May 6, 2017, a rape case was filed against five persons including Safat with Banani Police Station.

After investigation, Ismat Ara Amy, investigation officer (IO) of the case and inspector of the Women Support and Investigation Division of police, submitted chargesheet against the accused to the tribunal on June 7, 2017.

On June 19 of the same year, the same tribunal accepted the chargesheet against the accused. On July 13 of the same year, judge Shafiul Azam of Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-2, Dhaka ordered trial against the accused by charge framing.

In the chargesheet, charges of rape were brought against accused Safat Ahmed, Nayeem Ashraf alias HM Halim under Section 9 (1) of the  Women and Children Repression Prevention Act. Charges of abetting others in committing rape were brought against the rest three accused–Shadman Sakif, Rahmat Ali and Billal Hossain under Section 30 of the same act.