Neighbour confesses to killing her after rape

  
An eight-year-old girl was killed inside a residential flat in Dhaka's Pallabi area on Monday in a case that has shocked the capital, with police confirming that the prime accused has admitted involvement during interrogation and later in court.

According to Pallabi Police, Sohel Rana (31), a neighbour of the victim, confessed to killing the child after rape. He was later produced before a Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate, where his confessional statement was recorded under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, before being sent to jail.

Police said the victim, Ramisa Akter, a second-grade student and daughter of Abdul Hannan Molla and Parveen Akter, went missing on Tuesday morning after leaving her room inside the building. Her family began searching after she could not be located.

Relatives later traced her shoes to a neighbouring flat. When they forced entry into the apartment, they discovered the child's body inside the room, following which police were informed.

Law enforcement officials said the victim was found inside a third-floor apartment in the Pallabi area under Mirpur-11, Section B. Investigators suspect she was assaulted before being killed.

Sohel Rana, a rickshaw mechanic who had been living in the same building with his wife for around two months, was arrested from Fatullah in Narayanganj following the incident. Police said he allegedly attempted to flee the scene after the crime.

A case was filed at Pallabi Police Station by the victim's father naming Sohel Rana, his wife Swapna Akter (26), and an unidentified individual as accused. Police said the wife was detained at the scene and later remanded to custody for further questioning.

Investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident, including possible involvement of others and the sequence of events leading up to the child's death.