Teenager stabbed, mother injured; stalker still at large

On a bed at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, a teenage girl lies motionless, her back marked by deep stab wounds, inflicted by a stalker whose relentless harassment escalated into a night of terror.

Fifteen-year-old Raisa*, from Tebaria village in Gopalganj, was referred to DMCH from Gopalganj's 250-Bed General Hospital, after she required urgent surgery.

During a power outage on November 10, Raisa and her mother were attacked in their own home by their neighbour, Arman Molla, 20, and three accomplices, following months of harassment.

While Raisa fights for her life, her mother Runa*, 32, severely stabbed in the abdomen, is recovering after surgery.

The family now demands justice for the brutal assault.

According to Raisa, Arman had been harassing and stalking her for seven months leading up to the attack.

"He used to follow me on my way to school, on my way home, and anywhere he saw me. He would also propose to me," she said.

"I was completely distressed. My family lodged at least eight complaints with his family, but they never took any action. Instead, they would get angry with us," said Raisa.

"On that night, around 7:00pm, I was studying by candlelight because there was no electricity. It was just my mother and me at home. My father is abroad, and my brother had gone to pray at a nearby mosque," she said.

"Arman and three accomplices broke into our room and tried to stab me in the neck with a knife. When my mother rushed to save me, she was injured as the knife struck her hand. Then they stabbed my mother several times in the abdomen. After that, they stabbed me three times in my back," she said.

"When we started crying, they left us," she added.

Raisa's paternal uncle Majid* said he was at the mosque with her brother that night.

"Hearing their cry, we rushed to the home and found them bleeding profusely. Later, we took them to Gopalganj Sadar Hospital, but due to the severity of their injuries, they were referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital," he said.

"They were in no condition to survive. Raisa's mother suffered three perforations in her intestines. Emergency surgery was performed at DMCH. Meanwhile, Raisa had a punctured lung that doctors initially missed. When we brought her home after a week, complications reappeared, and we had to take her back to Dhaka. One surgery has already been done, and another is still pending," he added.

"We informed his family many times about the harassment, but no one took any action. Since no one stopped them, they gained the courage to carry out such a brutal attack," Raisa said.

"We demand exemplary punishment for this injustice so that no stalker dares to break into someone's home and attack like this," she added.

Following the attack, Raisa's uncle, Majid, filed a case at Gopalganj Sadar Police Station.

However, the accused have yet to be arrested, while the perpetrators have been issuing threats to force them to withdraw the case.

Sajedur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Gopalganj Sadar Police Station, said, "The accused are absconding, which is why we haven't been able to arrest them yet. However, we are trying to apprehend them as soon as possible."

*Names have been changed to protect the identities of the victims