A Dhaka court will deliver its verdict on June 7 in the case of eight-year-old Ramisa Akter, who was raped and killed inside a neighbouring flat in the capital last month.
Judge Masrur Salekin of the Dhaka Metropolitan Children Violence Suppression Tribunal announced the date after both sides completed their arguments on Thursday, according to Special Public Prosecutor Azizur Rahman Dulu.
Two people stand accused — Sohel Rana, a tenant from a neighbouring apartment, and his wife Swapna Akter. Both appeared before the tribunal on Wednesday to record their self-defence statements, a day after witness testimonies wrapped up in a single session.
Sixteen of the 18 listed witnesses gave depositions against the accused couple. The victim`s father, Abdul Mannan Molla, who is also the plaintiff in the case, was the first to testify.
He told the court how he rushed home after his wife informed him their youngest daughter was missing. Outside Sohel Rana`s locked flat, neighbours had already gathered. The door was forced open with a hammer.
"We broke into the apartment and saw blood stains in the bathroom. When we lifted the steel bed in the main room, we discovered my daughter`s decapitated body. Her severed head was hidden inside a bucket next to the bed," he said in his testimony.
Ramisa`s mother described the morning of May 19 in harrowing detail. She was cooking when she heard a child scream from the neighbouring flat, but thought nothing of it at first. Her concern grew when she found her front door open and her daughter gone. A shoe belonging to Ramisa was found just outside Sohel Rana`s door.
The victim`s elder sister, being a minor herself, gave her testimony in a closed-door session. Depositions were also recorded from relatives, neighbours, police personnel, the doctor who conducted the autopsy, and the investigating officer.
According to the case, Sohel Rana lured the child into his flat on May 19 and killed her after rape. Swapna Akter was arrested at the scene. Sohel managed to flee by cutting through a window grille but was later caught by police in Fatullah, Narayanganj.
The charge sheet was filed on May 24 by Investigating Officer Sub-Inspector Ohiduzzaman of Pallabi Police Station. Charges were formally framed on June 1, and witness hearings were completed within a day on June 3.
The tribunal has moved swiftly through the case since it was transferred from the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Dhaka, with the verdict now expected just weeks after the crime took place.
-20260602071952.jpg)
-20260603084212.webp)
