Verdict in Ramisa rape and murder case tomorrow

The verdict in the case over the rape and murder of eight-year-old Ramisa Akter will be delivered on Sunday, June 7 .

Judge Masrur Salekin of the Dhaka Metropolitan Children Violence Suppression Tribunal fixed the date after both the prosecution and defence completed their arguments .

Special Public Prosecutor Azizur Rahman Dulu argued that the charges against prime accused Sohel Rana, 31, and his wife and co-accused Swapna Khatun, 26, have been proved beyond reasonable doubt, demanding the death penalty for both .

The defence counsel, however, sought life imprisonment for Sohel, arguing that he was under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident. For Swapna, the defence argued that there is no evidence of direct involvement in the murder, only allegations of concealing the body .

The tribunal recorded testimonies of 16 out of 18 prosecution witnesses .

Ramisa, a second-grade student of Popular Model High School, was found beheaded on May 19 in the house of her neighbour Sohel in the capital's Pallabi area . According to the case statement, Sohel lured Ramisa into his room, raped her and later slit her throat, attempting to dismember the body to conceal the crime .

The victim's father filed a case with Pallabi Police Station the following day . Police arrested the accused within seven hours of the incident and submitted the charge sheet on the sixth day.