The Dhaka Metropolitan Child Repression Prevention Tribunal has sentenced Sohel Rana and his wife Swapna Akter to death for the rape and murder of an eight-year-old child in Pallabi. The court delivered the verdict 19 days after the incident. Sohel Rana and Swapna Akter were found guilty based on the accused's confession, the investigating officer's testimony, and the doctor's report.
Judge Masrur Salekin Ezlas announced the verdict on Sunday at 11:40 AM. The court stated that the medical evidence and police reports confirmed the rape and murder of the child. Witnesses testified that Sohel Rana fled the scene by cutting through a grill, while Swapna Akter remained in the flat and did not intervene, thereby aiding the crime.
The court noted that all evidence and testimonies proved that Sohel Rana raped and murdered the child between 9 AM and 11 AM. Sohel Rana confessed to the crime in his statement. Sohel Rana was brought to the court at 8:50 AM, and Swapna Akter at 8:30 AM, both under police custody.
The hearing of arguments from both the state and the accused concluded last Thursday. The court set June 7 as the date for announcing the verdict. The child was raped and murdered on May 19. Consequently, the verdict was announced 19 days after the incident.
On the day of the incident (May 19), Sohel Rana fled the flat by breaking the toilet grill before the child's dismembered body was discovered. His wife, Swapna Akter, was arrested at the scene. Sohel Rana was later arrested in Fatulla, Narayanganj, that evening. The child's father filed a case at Pallabi Police Station.
On May 20, Sohel Rana and Swapna Akter gave confessional statements before Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Aminul Islam Junaid. On June 1, the tribunal framed charges against Sohel Rana and Swapna Akter and ordered the commencement of the trial. After charge framing, witness testimonies, and arguments, the court scheduled the verdict announcement.
