A Chuadanga court has sentenced a man to death for the rape and murder of a child named Mariam. Judge Md Moktadir Alam of Child Violence Prevention Tribunal delivered the verdict on Monday in the presence of the accused. In addition to the capital punishment, the court imposed a fine of Tk2 lakh on the convict.
The convict, identified as Abul Hossain alias Fatik, is a resident of Boro Masjid Para area in Gayeshpur village under Jibannagar Upazila.
According to the case details, the incident occurred on 21 December 2023, when Mariam and three other children went to pick greens in Haribhanga field of their village.
While the children were standing by the roadside, Fatik, then an unidentified van driver, lured Mariam into a maize field under the pretext of helping her pick greens. He then forcibly raped the child before killing her by slitting her throat with a sharp weapon.
As he was fleeing the scene, the other children asked about Mariam’s whereabouts. Fatik told them she was still in the field picking greens. The following day, the victim’s father filed a case against an unknown individual at Jibannagar Police Station.
The investigation led to identification of Fatik through CCTV footage obtained from a local brick kiln. He was subsequently arrested by the police in Chuadanga on 7 February 2024. SI Saiful Islam, the investigating officer from Jibannagar Police Station, submitted the charge sheet against Fatik on 31 October 2024.
The tribunal reached its decision after recording the testimonies of 31 witnesses. Following the announcement of the verdict, the convict was taken to the district jail under police escort.
