Man sentenced to death for murdering minor in Sitakunda

A court has sentenced a man to death for the throat-slitting murder of eight-year-old child Jannatul Nesa Ira Moni in Sitakunda, Chattogram. Judge Jannatul Ferdous of the Chattogram Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-4 delivered the verdict, just four months after the sensational murder on Thursday.

The court handed down the death penalty to the convict, Babu Sheikh, as the murder charge was proven under Section 302 of the Penal Code. In addition, he was sentenced to life imprisonment under Section 7 and 10 years of rigorous imprisonment under Section 9 of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.

The victim, Ira Moni, was a resident of Chhotokumira Masterpara in Sitakunda upazila and a second-grade student at a local primary school. Her father, Monirul Islam, is a Tomtom (local battery-powered rickshaws) driver by profession.

According to the case details, Babu Sheikh planned to kill the child due to a prior dispute with Ira's father. On the morning of March 1, he lured Ira out of her house on the pretext of buying her chocolates and taking her for a walk. He took her to a hilly area adjacent to the Sitakunda Botanical Garden, where he attempted to sexually assault her. When Ira threatened to expose him, he slit her throat with a sharp weapon and fled the scene.

Later, road construction workers rescued the critically injured child and rushed her to the hospital. She was initially admitted to the Upazila Health Complex and later transferred to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries on March 3 after undergoing treatment for two days.

Police arrested Babu Sheikh on the day of the incident. Following the investigation, the charge sheet was submitted on June 11. Charges were framed on June 18, and the recording of depositions began on June 21. The hearing concluded after recording the testimonies of 16 witnesses in just six working days. The case was kept awaiting verdict after arguments ended on July 2, leading to the death sentence being pronounced this Thursday.