2 held for attempted rape on 7-yr-old girl

Although the men of a neighbourhood let the "rapists" go, a woman yesterday disclosed an attempted rape of a seven-year-old girl to police two days after the incident, prompting arrest of two men who had been caught red-handed during the crime in the capital's Mugda on Friday.

Police yesterday arrested the duo Mozammel, 34, a day labourer, and Jahangir, 28, a mason, from Manda and admitted the victim to Dhaka Medical College Hospital's One-stop Crisis Centre for tests.

Quoting the girl, the woman told The Daily Star that the girl had come to the area from Mirzapur of Tangail by a train as her father abandoned her there as a result of a feud between her and her stepmother.

The woman who also witnessed the incident said around 2:00am on the day, the accused duo took the girl to an empty room belonging to one Kashem luring her with the promise of a shelter. Hearing her cry for help, locals rushed to the room, and found the girl naked as the two men were attempting to rape her, she added. The local men however just slapped the duo around a bit and let them go, the  woman alleged.

After the incident, she gave the girl shelter in her house, she said adding that later she took the girl to Mugda Police Station and informed police of the matter.

Inspector Mustafizur Rahman of the police station told The Daily Star that following the complaint, police raided the area and arrested the two after the victim identified them.

The woman said the girl can tell the names of her parents but could not recall her village's name. She also told the woman that she was a student of class-I at a local primary school.