Lawyer sent to jail on rape charge

A Panchagarh court yesterday sent a lawyer to jail in connection with a case filed for raping a 10th-grader in Atwary upazila on Friday afternoon. 

The arrestee, HM Habibur Rahman Habib, a lawyer and son of late Abdul Khalek of Baragaon village in the upazila, is also known as a moneylender in his locality. 

After the hearing of the case, Panchagarh Senior Judicial Magistrate Minhajur Rahman sent Habib to jail after police produced him before the court yesterday afternoon.

Quoting the case statement, Officer in Charge of Atwary Police Station Ezar Uddin said Habib, who used to lend money on high interest, gave a loan of Tk 15,000 to the girl's father a couple of months ago.

Besides, taking advantage of the situation, he used to talk to the victim girl over phone frequently since then.

On Friday, Habib met girl at her grandmother's house at Darimuni Barghati village and proposed her to visit Atway upazila headquarters on his motorbike.

On their way to the upazila headquarters, Habib tactfully took the girl to one of his clients Shushil's house at Kallikapur village and forcibly raped her there.

On the other hand, seeing Habib's suspicious activity villagers encircled the house, caught the culprit and handed him over to police.

Being informed, police went to the spot and detained Habib. They also rescued the victim and took her to Atwary Upazila Health Complex for a medical test.

Later, father of the victim girl filed a rape case with Atwary Police Station, accusing three people, including Habib.

Meanwhile, protesting the heinous act, local people formed a human chain in front of Atwary Upazila Parishad on Atway-Panchagarh road yesterday afternoon, demanding capital punishment of the culprit lawyer.