Ramisa rape and murder: Father testifies as first witness in tribunal

The trial in the brutal rape and murder case of child Ramisa Akter formally entered the witness testimony stage on Tuesday, with the court beginning to hear evidence from witnesses.

Around 10:40am, Ramisa’s father, Abdul Hannan Molla, began giving his statement before Judge Masrur Salekin at the Dhaka Metropolitan Children’s Violence Suppression Tribunal.

Appearing before the court, he expressed hope for justice and called for the maximum punishment for the accused.

Several key witnesses were also scheduled to testify during the day, including the magistrate who recorded the confessional statement of prime suspect Sohel Rana, a doctor, the officer who collected evidence, and local neighbours.

Earlier, at around 8:45am, Sohel was produced before the court from Keraniganj Central Jail, while his wife, Swapna Khatun, was brought from Kashimpur Jail.

The two were initially kept in the lock-up of the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judges’ Court before being taken to the dock during the hearing.

While being transferred from the prison van to the court lock-up, Sohel once again spoke to journalists about the killing.

“Catch Dollar

On Monday, the court framed charges against Sohel and Swapna, formally initiating the trial proceedings.

The court also summoned 17 witnesses to testify in the case.

Ramisa’s body was recovered on May 19 from a flat in Block B of Section 11 in Pallabi.

According to police, 32-year-old Sohel, who lived in an adjacent flat, killed the child on the morning of the incident.

He allegedly cut through a window grill and fled the scene, while Swapna remained inside the apartment.

Swapna was later arrested from the flat, while Sohel was detained that evening in Fatullah, Narayanganj.

On the same day, Ramisa’s father filed a case with Pallabi Police Station, naming both suspects.

Police said Sohel had already confessed to the killing in court.

According to the case statement, Ramisa lived with her family in an apartment in Section 11 and was a Class-2 student at Popular Model High School. Sohel and Swapna were sub-tenants in another flat in the same building.

Investigators said Ramisa left home at around 9:30am on May 19. The suspects allegedly lured her to their third-floor flat.

About an hour later, while searching for her daughter before school, Ramisa’s mother reportedly noticed the child’s sandal outside the suspects’ room. When repeated knocks went unanswered, she and neighbours broke open the door.

Inside, they found Ramisa’s body in the room and her severed head placed in a bucket in the bathroom, with Swapna present at the scene.

During interrogation, Swapna allegedly said Sohel confined Ramisa in the bathroom, raped her and killed her.

To destroy evidence, he allegedly severed her head with a knife, partially cut both arms from the shoulders, placed the body under a bed and kept the head in a bucket before fleeing.

The investigation officer, Sub-Inspector Ohiduzzaman of Pallabi Police Station, submitted the chargesheet against the suspects on May 24.

The Metropolitan Magistrate later transferred the case to the Dhaka Metropolitan Child Violence Suppression Tribunal for trial, where Judge Masrur accepted the charges.