A Dhaka court on Monday framed charges against Sohel Rana and his wife, Swapna Akhter, in the rape and murder case of eight-year-old Ramisa Akter in Pallabi, Mirpur, formally opening the trial.
Judge Masrur Salekin of the Dhaka Metropolitan Child Violence Prevention Tribunal passed the order after hearing the charge sheet submitted six days after the investigation began. The tribunal also fixed Tuesday for recording witness testimony.
Both accused pleaded not guilty.
During the hearing, Sohel Rana claimed that his wife was innocent and alleged that a man named "Dollar" was responsible for the crime.
"My wife is not guilty," he told the court.
Claiming that Dollar raped and killed the child, Sohel said, "I did not rape her. I only dismembered the body. Someone named Dollar raped and killed her. Punish me for that sin."
He further alleged that Dollar had promised him Tk 200,000 if he could bring Ramisa to him. Questioning the investigation, he claimed that the charge sheet had been prepared without conducting his DNA test.
When asked about Dollar's identity, Sohel said, "He is a very rich man and lives in a house on Road No. 11 in Mirpur."
Earlier in the day, Sohel Rana was brought from Keraniganj Central Jail and Swapna Akhter from Kashimpur Jail to the court.
Speaking to reporters from the prison van after the hearing, he repeated the allegation.
"Dollar raped her. Dollar killed her. Everything will be revealed one day," he said.
The allegation has brought the name "Dollar" into fresh discussion, although investigators have not confirmed the involvement of any such person in the case.
Special Public Prosecutor Azizur Rahman Dulu described the allegation as "a matter for trial".
"The prosecution has nothing to say about what was not found in the police report. What the defence says is a matter of evidence, which will be determined through the trial process," he said.
He added that the state would seek the maximum punishment based on the case records, investigation findings and confessional statements.
"If the charges of rape and murder are proved, the maximum punishment will be the death penalty," he said.
According to the case statement, Ramisa, a Class II student of Popular Model High School, was allegedly lured into the accused's flat by Swapna Akhter on May 19.
When family members searched for her, they found her shoes outside the flat. After forcing open the door, they discovered the child's body in a bedroom and her severed head inside a bucket in the bathroom.
The victim's father, Abdul Hannan Mollah, later filed a case with Pallabi Police Station naming both accused.
Swapna was arrested first, while Sohel was later detained in Fatullah, Narayanganj. According to case documents, Sohel gave a confessional statement before a court on May 20.
