A Dhaka court has set 7 June for delivering its verdict in the rape and murder case of eight-year-old Ramisa Akter, following the conclusion of arguments from both the prosecution and defence.
Judge Masrur Salekin of the Dhaka Metropolitan Children Violence Suppression Tribunal fixed the date on Thursday after completing hearings in the case, according to Special Public Prosecutor Azizur Rahman Dulu.
The tribunal heard self-defence statements from the two accused, Sohel Rana and his wife Swapna Akter, on Wednesday after witness testimony concluded within a single day on Tuesday.
Of the 18 listed witnesses, 16 testified before the court against the accused. State-appointed defence lawyer Musa Kalimullah cross-examined the witnesses.
Ramisa’s father, Abdul Mannan Molla, who filed the case, was the first witness to testify. He was followed by the victim’s mother, elder sister and other witnesses.
In his testimony, the father described how he rushed home after being informed by his wife that their youngest daughter was missing. He told the court that neighbours had gathered outside the locked apartment of their neighbour, Sohel Rana. After the lock was broken, they entered the flat.
“We broke into the apartment and saw blood stains in the bathroom. When we lifted the steel bed in the main room, we discovered my daughter’s decapitated body. Her severed head was hidden inside a bucket next to the bed,” he testified.
The victim’s mother told the tribunal that she had heard a child screaming from Sohel Rana’s apartment on the morning of 19 May while she was cooking but initially believed the sound came from another child. Her suspicions grew later when she found the front door of her own home open and realised her daughter was missing. During a search of the building, she found one of the child’s shoes outside the accused’s apartment.
Because she is a minor, Ramisa’s elder sister gave evidence during a closed-door hearing, known as a camera trial, following an application by the prosecution.
The tribunal also heard testimony from relatives of the victim, neighbours, building residents, police officers involved in the investigation, the officer who prepared the inquest report, the doctor who conducted the post-mortem examination, the magistrate who recorded confessional statements and the investigating officer.
On 1 June, the tribunal formally framed charges against Sohel Rana and Swapna Akter and scheduled witness testimony. The charge sheet had been submitted on 24 May by Sub-Inspector Ohiduzzaman of Pallabi Police Station to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Dhaka before the case was transferred to the tribunal.
According to the prosecution, Ramisa Akter was raped and murdered on 19 May after being lured into the accused’s apartment by Sohel Rana, who lived in a neighbouring flat.
Investigators said the child’s decapitated body was later found beneath a bed, while her severed head was recovered from a bucket in the bathroom.
Police detained Swapna Akter at the scene, while Sohel Rana escaped by cutting through a window grille. He was later arrested in Fatullah, Narayanganj, following a police operation.
