A 20-year-old female garment worker was gang-raped in Sreepur upazila of Gazipur after her husband was forcefully locked in an adjoining room by four men, police and victims said.
Following the incident, a rape case was registered with Sreepur Police Station on Thursday against two named suspects – Nayan Mia, 28, and Faruk, 30 – alongside two unidentified associates. However, no arrests have been made yet.
The victim, Panna (pseudonym), originally hailing from Sherpur district, works as a labourer at an industrial facility belonging to the local DBL Group. She resides with her husband in a rented house in the Hanu Market area under Gazipur Union in Sreepur upazila.
According to the victim, she and her husband had been living in landlord Harun-or-Rashid’s house in the Hanu Market area for the past six months. Owing to a recent surge in thefts in the locality, the couple decided to relocate on Monday after paying three months’ advance rent to the landlord.
As they began moving their household goods, two local youths, Faruk and Nayan, arrived and forcibly took her husband away to an undisclosed location. Her husband did not return despite a long wait, arriving home late that night. Shortly after 8:30pm, Faruk and Nayan re-entered the residence accompanied by two unidentified men.
Shortly after entering, the men forcefully beat her husband and locked him in another room. Faruk claimed that her husband owed him money and demanded compliance from the victim in exchange for their release.
When she refused, Faruk, Nayan, and an unidentified associate tied her hands, held a sharp knife to her throat, bound her feet, and gang-raped her in turns. She pleaded for mercy, calling them father and brother, but all four subjected her to barbaric torture. Neighbours did not come to her rescue out of fear.
The victim’s husband stated that he was repeatedly tortured in the adjoining room whilst his captors claimed his wife had gone to fetch money. After the assault, the perpetrators threatened to kill the couple if they attempted to seek justice, patrolling around the residence for two days to prevent them from seeking legal help.
Unable to leave, the couple eventually contacted relatives, who rushed to the scene and helped them reach the police station to file a complaint.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Sreepur Police Station, Mohammad Shahinur Alam, said that police launched a raid in the area at night immediately upon being informed of the incident to arrest the accused. He added that the victim has been sent to Gazipur Shahid Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital for a medical examination.
