4 get life term for Kamrangirchar gang rape

A Dhaka court on Sunday sentenced four men to life imprisonment for the gang rape of a 25-year-old woman in the capital’s Kamrangirchar area in 2009.

The convicts are Shahidul Islam, Saiful Islam, Nizam and Monir Hossain alias Sentu.

Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-4 Judge Munshi Md Moshiyar Rahman delivered the verdict, also imposing a Tk 1 lakh fine on each. Failure to pay will result in an additional year in jail.

Three of the convicts were present in court and sent back to prison, while Saiful Islam remains absconding. The court issued a warrant for his arrest and ordered the recovery of fines by selling the convict's assets.

According to the case statement, the victim was forcibly taken onto a boat and raped in the middle of the Buriganga River before being confined at a house in Kamrangirchar. She was later rescued by her family and treated at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

Following the incident, the victim subsequently filed a case at Kamrangirchar Police Station as the plaintiff.

Police filed the charge sheet in October 2010 and the court recorded testimonies from eight witnesses during the trial.

AM