Man gets 10 years prison for attempted rape of child in Hatirjheel

A Dhaka tribunal on Monday sentenced Md Shukur Ali Sheikh, 35, to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for attempting to rape a six-year-old girl in Hatirjheel.

Judge Sabera Sultana Khanam of the Dhaka Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-7 handed down the verdict. Shukur was brought to court from jail and returned immediately after the sentence was pronounced.

Along with the prison term, Shukur was fined Tk20,000. Failure to pay the fine will result in an additional three months of rigorous imprisonment.

Shukur, son of the late Ekhlas Sheikh from Londonpur village in Rajbari Sadar, was charged after the incident on May 21, 2021, when he tried to assault the child inside a rickshaw garage. The child escaped and informed her mother, prompting her father to file a police case the following day.

Hatirjheel police investigated the case and submitted charge sheets to the court on October 13, 2021. The tribunal recorded testimonies from six witnesses during the trial.

Public prosecutor Advocate Md Abul Kalam Azad expressed satisfaction with the verdict, stating that the accused received the maximum punishment under Section 9(4)(kha) of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.