Man to die for killing girl

A court here yesterday sentenced a youth to death for killing a seven-year-old girl after rape in the district in 2012.

Helal Uddin, the judge of Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal, Mymensingh, handed down the verdict after examining witnesses and evidence.

The convict was identified as Md Rafiqul Islam Kajol, 27, son of Abu Bakar Siddique of Churkhai village in Sadar upazila.

The court also fined Rafiqul Tk 1 lakh, said Court Inspector Nowjesh Ali Miah.  

According to the prosecution, Sania Akhter, daughter of newspaper hawker Md Chand Mia of Dori Bhabokhali village, went missing around 10:30am on June 23 in 2012.

Chand Miah's wife Rashida Begum told him that their daughter Sania was missing when he returned home around 12:30pm on the day.

As a man of adjacent Nama Bhabokhali area informed Chand the following day that the body of a girl was lying in the jungle of his house, Chand along with his family members rushed to the spot and identified the body.

Police sent the body to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy.

On suspicion, local people caught Rafiqul and handed him over to police. A case was filed with Kotwali Police Station accusing Rafiqul.

Later, Rafiqul gave a confessional statement before a court that he killed the girl by hitting her on the head after raping and left the body in the jungle.

Special Public Prosecutor Advocate Kabir Uddin Bhuiyan pleaded for the state and Advocate Biswanath Pal for the accused, court sources said.