She only went to buy chips

An eight-year-old girl has been killed after rape in Bogura's Dhunat upazila.

The victim, Tabassum Khatun, was a second grader at a primary school in Nosrotpur village of the upazila.

Police said the girl along with her grandparents went to a waz mahfil near their home in the same village on Monday night. At one stage of the religious event, the girl went to a nearby shop to buy chips around 10:00pm.

As she was late to return, her grandparents started looking for her, but did not find her anywhere.

Later, her family members, relatives and locals began a search for her across the village. Around 1:30am, they found her body near a bamboo grove, said Gaziur Rahman, additional superintendent of police (Sherpur circle) of Bogura.

The girl was rushed to Dhunat Upazila Heath Complex.

Ashraful Kabir, medical officer at the health complex, said she died before being taken to the hospital around 2:00am yesterday.

The body was sent to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College morgue for an autopsy.

"We primarily found evidence of rape. There were injury marks on her chest and blood in her private parts," said the additional SP.

Police were trying to identify and arrest the culprit(s), he said.

The number of rape and sexual harassment has apparently increased in recent times, triggering public outcry.

Amid countrywide protests denouncing violence against women, the "Women and Children Repression Prevention (Amendment) Bill, 2020" was passed in parliament November 17 keeping death penalty as the highest punishment for rape.

Meanwhile in Savar, Rab on Monday rescued a 12-year-old girl in Ashulia's Dendabar area. The law enforcers said she had gone missing from Sherpur 15 days ago and was allegedly raped multiple times since then.

Rab arrested two people in this connection.

They are Anzika alias Trisha, 20, a resident of Balyadi village in Sherpur's Nakla upazila, and Ridoy Khan, 21, of Darulhuda village of Patuakhali's Bhandaria upazila.

The victim and Anzika knew each other. Anzika tricked her into coming to Ashulia on November 29, promising her of giving a job, said Rab officials.

Anzika then handed over the girl to Ridoy, who allegedly raped her on multiple occasions, said Maj AHM Adnan Tofadar, company commander of Rab-4.

[Our correspondents in Bogura and Savar contributed to this report]