Gang rape of two women in Keraniganj: 6 youths get life term

Gang rape of two women in Keraniganj: 6 youths get life term

A tribunal has sentenced six youths to life imprisonment for abducting and gang-raping two women in the Shuvadhya area of South Keraniganj four years ago.

Judge Munshi Md Moshiar Rahman of Dhaka Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-4 delivered the verdict on Tuesday, August 4.

The convicts are: Rahul, 23; Md Diamond, 20; Afsar Uddin Anim, 22; Parvez Haque Polash, 25; Minhaz alias Minhaz Abedin, 21; and Minhaz alias Babu alias Minhaz Babu, 24.

State prosecutor Advocate Md Ershad Alam confirmed the verdict. He said each convict has also been fined Tk 1 lakh. The court directed the district magistrate or collector of Dhaka to recover the fine amount by selling the convicts' movable and immovable properties and hand it over to the victims or their families.

Rahul is currently absconding. An arrest warrant with a sentence warrant has been issued against him. The other convicts were sent to jail after the verdict.

According to the case details, the two women and some of their friends had gone out to celebrate a friend's birthday on the afternoon of June 25, 2022. Around 9:45pm, they went to Pankouri Restaurant in Keraniganj. After eating, they were looking for an auto-rickshaw in the Shuvadhya area to return home. The convicts arrived in an auto-mishuk and blocked their way. They beat the group and took them to a dark field in a place called Raton's Farm. The convicts threatened the friends of the two women, beat them and snatched their money and mobile phones. They then raped the two women repeatedly and recorded the incident. They also took their mobile phones. The friends of the two women later went to South Keraniganj Police Station and informed the police, who rescued them.

The father of one of the women filed a case of gang rape at South Keraniganj Police Station on June 29. After the case was filed, Minhaj Abedin was arrested by RAB. One of the women's mobile phones was recovered from him. The phone contained videos of the gang rape of the two victims.

After investigation, Sub-Inspector Sarjit Kumar Ghosh of South Keraniganj Police Station submitted a charge sheet against the six youths. The tribunal framed charges and began trial, recording the testimony of 12 witnesses.