Imam gets life term for raping 10-yr-old girl in Rangpur

A Rangpur court has sentenced an imam of a local mosque to life term imprisonment in a case filed for raping a 10-year-old girl in the district's Taraganj upazila.

Rangpur's Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-3 Judge M Ali Ahmed found Atiqul Islam alias Atiq guilty and passed the order today (May 26, 2022).

The accused was present when the verdict was pronounced, our Dinajpur correspondent reports quoting special Public Prosecutor (PP) Tajibur Rahman Laiju.

According to the case statement, around 7am on November 4, 2020, the child along with other students went to the imam of Jhakuapara New Mosque to learn Arabic at Ghanirampur Jhakuapara village.

Around 8am, Atiq asked the children to leave the place and requested the victim to stay back. He then took the child to his room adjacent to the mosque, raped her and threatened not to tell anyone about the matter, the case statement said.

Later, after going home, when the child fell sick, the incident came to light and locals detained Atiq.

The girl was admitted to Taraganj Upazila Health Complex and later shifted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital.

Her father later filed the rape case with Taraganj Police Station.