Man to die for rape, murder of 7-year-old girl

A Dhaka tribunal yesterday sentenced a man to death for the rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl in the capital's Jatrabari area in 2017.

Judge Roksana Begum Happy of Dhaka's Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-3 delivered the verdict in the presence of the lone accused, Md Rafiqul Islam.

In the verdict, the judge observed that the convict has no right to live, as he posed a threat to the safety of children and women. Considering the gravity of his crimes, he was given the capital punishment.

Earlier, the prosecution and defence completed their arguments, and the tribunal recorded statements from 12 prosecution witnesses, including the complainant.

According to the case statement, the girl left her home around 6:00am on October 1, 2017. When she did not return after a long time, her family began searching for her. At one point, Rafiqul called them and informed them that the child was in his custody. When they arrived at the location, they found her dead.

Rafiqul later admitted to killing the girl after raping her, citing previous enmity as the motive.

Following the filing of a case, police arrested Rafiqul, who later confessed to his crimes before a magistrate.

The tribunal framed charges against him on May 15, 2019.