JOYPURHAT: A court here awarded death penalty to seven people for killing housewife Arati Rani after rape in Akkelpur upazila of the district. 

The court also fined Tk 5 lakh each to two of the convicts and Tk one lakh to five others.  

Judge Dr ABM Mahmudul Haque of Joypurhat Woman and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal on Tuesday (Oct 22) handed down the verdict.

The convicts are - Sohel Talukder, 27, of Marma East Para in Akkelpur Upazila, Afzal Hossain, 50, of Deora Sonar para of the same upazila, Abdur Rahim of Deora Guchchogram, Ferdous Ali, 44, of Deora Sakhidar para, Mojibur Rahman of Deora Sonar para, Ruhul Amin, 37, and Azizar Rahman, 52, of Deora Guchchagram.

According to the case statement, the accused forcibly picked up Arati Rani, wife of Uzzal Mohonto of Guchchogram in Akkelpur Upazila, when she came out of home for going to toilet and gang-raped her on October 8 night in 2016.

Hearing her daughters’ scream, locals rushed to their house and after a good search, the victim was found lying unconscious on nearby paddy field. Later, she died on way to Adamdighi Health Complex in Bogura.

Later on Oct 10, victim’s husband filed a case with Akkelpur Police Station accusing some unidentified people.

On July 29, 2019, the investigation officer of the case submitted the charge sheet against seven people. 

The court recorded depositions of 19 witnesses in the case.

BDST: 1320 HRS, OCT 22, 2019
RS/SMS