2 held over gang-rape of 9th-grader

Two youths have been arrested for allegedly raping a ninth-grader in Rampal upazila of Bagerhat on Friday evening.

Rampal police station’s officer-in-charge SM Ashraful Alam said that

the arrestees Sheikh Russell, 26, son of Sheikh Farhad Hossain and Rakib Hossen Sajal, 25, son of Azmal Hossen, are from Paragovindapur and Kalekhar villages respectively of the upazila. Another accused, Rahmat, Sheikh is now on the run.

OC Ashraful said the schoolgirl was going to her coaching centre on Friday afternoon. As she fell sick on the way, she deiced to go to her maternal uncle’s house at nearby Kismat Jhanjhaniya village.

Accused Rahmat and Russell intercepted the girl on the way and picked her up in a motorbike.

They took her to a fish enclosure at Durgapur Putiamari village where Sajal was waiting, the OC said adding that the three raped the girl by turns.

Later, the victim was sent back home by a local vehicle, he said.

Victim’s uncle Saiful Islam filed a case against the trio with the police station in this connection on Friday night, the police officer said, adding that the girl was admitted to  Sadar Hospital for a medical test. He said they were conducting drives to arrest Rahmat Sheikh.