Six young men have been sentenced to life imprisonment for the gang rape of two young women in Dhaka’s South Keraniganj area four years ago. The verdict was delivered on Tuesday, 4 August, by Judge Munshee Md Mashiur Rahman of the Dhaka Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-4.
The convicted men are Rahul, 23; Md Diamond, 20; Afsar Uddin Anim, 22; Parvez Haque Palash, 25; Minhaj, also known as Minhaj Abedin, 21; and Minhaj, also known as Babu and Minhaj Babu, 24.
State prosecutor Md Ershad Alam (George) confirmed the sentences. In addition to life imprisonment, each of the six convicts has been fined Tk 100,000.
The tribunal has also directed the Dhaka District Magistrate or Collector to recover the fines by selling the convicts’ movable and immovable property, if necessary, and hand the proceeds to the victims or their families. Such provisions are intended to ensure that financial penalties imposed by the court can contribute to supporting victims and their families.
One of the convicts, Rahul, remains absconding. The court has issued an arrest warrant against him alongside the warrant for his sentence. Following the verdict, the other five convicts were sent to prison under the relevant warrants.
According to the case details, the incident took place on 25 June 2022, when the two victims and several of their friends went out to celebrate a friend’s birthday. At around 9.45pm, they visited a restaurant in Pankauri, Keraniganj. After eating, the group began looking for an autorickshaw in the Shubhadya area to return home.
The prosecution said the accused intercepted the group in an autorickshaw and forcibly took the two women to a dark field known as Ratan’s Farm. The accused allegedly assaulted the women’s male friends, threatened them and took their cash and mobile phones. The two women were then allegedly raped by the group in turns.
The prosecution further alleged that the attackers recorded the sexual assault on video and took the victims’ mobile phones. After the incident, the victims’ friends went to South Keraniganj Police Station and informed police. Officers subsequently reached the area and rescued the two women.
The father of one of the victims filed a gang-rape case at South Keraniganj Police Station on 29 June 2022, four days after the alleged incident.
Following the filing of the case, the Rapid Action Battalion arrested Minhaj Abedin. A mobile phone belonging to one of the victims was reportedly recovered from him. Investigators also found video footage of the assault involving the two victims on the device, according to the case proceedings.
After completing its investigation, Sub-Inspector Sharjit Kumar Ghosh of South Keraniganj Police Station submitted a charge sheet against the six accused. The court subsequently framed charges against them and began the trial.
During the trial proceedings, the tribunal recorded testimony from 12 witnesses before delivering its verdict. The case highlights the serious criminal consequences faced by those convicted of sexual violence and the importance of timely investigation and judicial proceedings in such cases.
