‘Sir, catch Dollar—he is also guilty’, Sohel says at court hearing

Sohel Rana, the main accused in the rape and murder case of second-grade student Ramisa Akter in Pallabi, Mirpur, Dhaka, asked for forgiveness from the judge while standing in court during his self-defence statement. His wife and co-accused, Swapna Akter, denied all allegations and sought justice, claiming complete innocence.

On Wednesday, Judge Masrur Saleheen of the Dhaka Children’s Violence Suppression Tribunal recorded the statements of both accused under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code. After the statements and cross-examination, the court set Thursday (June 4) for the final arguments in the case.

Earlier in the morning, both accused were brought to court from jail under tight security. Proceedings began at 11:10 a.m. after the judge took the bench. The judge read out the charges against them and summarized the testimonies and statements of 16 prosecution witnesses.

At one point, the judge asked the accused, “Are you guilty or not guilty?”

Standing in the dock, Sohel Rana said, “Sir, I am innocent. I seek acquittal. Please forgive me. I had a person named Dollar with me, but no one saw him. Please arrest him; he is also guilty.”

Meanwhile, Swapna Akter also claimed complete innocence and sought justice from the court.

Court assistant Pankaj Peter Gomez later confirmed that the date for closing arguments has been set for Thursday.

During the hearing, Public Prosecutor Omar Faruk Faruqui, Special Public Prosecutor Azizur Rahman Dulu, and state-appointed defence lawyer Musa Kalimullah were present.

Earlier on Tuesday, witness testimony was completed. Out of 17 prosecution witnesses, 16 testified in court. The witnesses included the victim’s father and complainant Abdul Hannan Molla, her mother Parveen Akter, her elder sister Raisa Akter, relatives, neighbours, police officers, a doctor, a magistrate, and the investigating officer.

The body of Ramisa Akter was recovered by police on May 19 from a flat in Block B of Section 11 in Pallabi. The incident sparked widespread outrage across the country.

According to police, Sohel Rana allegedly murdered the child that morning and severed her head from her body before fleeing after cutting through a window grill. His wife Swapna Akter was reportedly present at the scene. Police arrested Swapna from the flat and later arrested Sohail Rana from the Fatulla area of Narayanganj.

On the same day, the victim’s father filed a case at Pallabi Police Station against both accused. Sohel Rana later gave a confessional statement in court.

The investigating officer, SI Ohiduzzaman of Pallabi Police Station, submitted a charge sheet to the court on May 24 after a five-day investigation. The case was then prepared for trial on an expedited basis.

After the Eid holidays, on the first working day Monday, the court framed charges against both accused and ordered the start of the trial.

After that hearing, Sohel Rana told journalists that he only “cut the victim into two pieces” and claimed that another man named Dollar from Mirpur actually committed the rape and murder. He also claimed that he was paid 200,000 taka by Dollar to carry out the act.

On Tuesday, testimony from 16 witnesses was completed in a single day. During this, the victim’s father Abdul Hannan Molla told the court, “May no other parents have to endure such a loss.”

The case statement says Ramisa lived with her family in an apartment in Section 11 of Pallabi and was a second-grade student at Popular Model High School. Sohel and Swapna were tenants in a separate flat in the same building.

On May 19 around 9:30 a.m., Ramisa went out of her home. The accused allegedly lured her to their third-floor room in the building. Around 10:30 a.m., while searching for her before school, her mother found her sandals outside the accused’s room. After knocking and getting no response, the family broke the door open and found Ramisa’s headless body inside the room and her severed head in a bucket in the bathroom. Swapna was reportedly standing there at the time.

The case further states that during initial police interrogation, Swapna said Sohel confined Ramisa in the bathroom, raped and killed her, and then dismembered the body with a knife to dispose of evidence. He allegedly placed the body under a bed in the bedroom and left the severed head in a bathroom bucket before escaping by cutting the window grill.

Following the horrific incident, protests have continued nationwide, with various organizations and people from different walks of life holding rallies and human chains demanding a fair investigation and swift justice.