The accused, Anwar Hossain Rana, was arrested during a joint operation in the Ramganj area of Lakshmipur district on Thursday night, according to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). He is the prime accused in a case filed at Sherpur Sadar Police Station on 30 October under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.
Major Labid Ahmed, company commander of RAB-14’s CPC-1 in Jamalpur, confirmed the arrest. RAB disclosed the details in a press release issued on Friday morning.
According to the complaint cited in the press release, Rana became acquainted with the girl through a mobile phone. Their conversations gradually developed into a romantic relationship, during which he allegedly promised to marry her.
The alleged incident dates back to 23 December last year, when Rana reportedly called the girl away from her father’s home and took her to a house in Sherpur town. There, he arranged a purported marriage ceremony through a person posing as a marriage registrar, locally known as a kazi.
During the arrangement, the girl was asked to sign a blue-coloured piece of paper, which was presented as part of the marriage process. The ceremony allegedly created the impression that the two had entered into a valid marriage.
Following the purported wedding, Rana and the girl began presenting themselves as husband and wife. According to the case details, they subsequently lived together at both Rana’s home and the girl’s father’s residence, reinforcing her belief that their marriage was genuine.
At one stage, the girl became pregnant. When she was approximately seven months pregnant, she reportedly asked Rana to provide their marriage registration document, commonly known as a kabinnama.
However, instead of producing the document, Rana allegedly continued to delay the matter through various excuses. His failure to provide the marriage papers eventually raised questions about the legitimacy of their relationship.
The situation reportedly escalated on the morning of 7 August, when Rana allegedly demanded Tk 300,000 from the girl as dowry. Her family refused to meet the demand.
Following their refusal, Rana allegedly became angry, verbally abused the girl and told her that he had never legally married her. He then left the place, according to the complaint.
Shocked by the revelation, the girl sought to verify the marriage by contacting several kazi offices in Sherpur. Her enquiries reportedly established that there was no marriage registration record or kabinnama in their names.
The girl subsequently filed a case against Rana at Sherpur Sadar Police Station. The complaint alleges that he staged a marriage ceremony to deceive her, exploited the trust she had placed in him as her husband and sexually assaulted her under the false pretence of a marital relationship.
Following the filing of the case, RAB launched an operation to locate the accused. According to the press release, members of RAB-14’s CPC-1 in Jamalpur worked jointly with an operational team from RAB-11’s CPC-3 in Lakshmipur.
Acting on specific information and intelligence reports, the joint team conducted an operation in Lakshmipur and arrested Rana from the Ramganj area on Thursday night.
Major Labid Ahmed said the arrested man had been handed over to Sherpur Sadar Police Station for further legal proceedings.
The case highlights concerns surrounding deception in relationships initiated through mobile phones, particularly when underage girls are involved. It also draws attention to the importance of proper marriage registration and the legal protections available to minors against exploitation.
Under Bangladeshi law, the minimum legal age for marriage is 18 for women and 21 for men. A purported marriage involving a 16-year-old girl therefore raises serious legal concerns, irrespective of any ceremony or informal document presented as evidence of the union.
The allegations against Rana, including the purported fake marriage, dowry demand and sexual exploitation, will be examined through the legal process. His arrest does not itself establish guilt, which must be determined by a court of law.
