Rape victim's house ‘vandalised’

A man has been arrested for allegedly raping a girl after luring her with the promise of marriage at Sonagazi in Feni.

Police produced the accused in court on Wednesday and was granted to take him into a day’s remand for questioning.

The victim’s family alleged that detained Shahadat Hossain’s friends attacked their house after his arrest and were threatening revenge.

Sonagazi Model Police Station OC Abu Zafar M Saleh said the incident had occurred two weeks ago but a case had been filed on Tuesday. The accused was arrested the same night.

Police produced him in court and sought a three-day remand. But the court had granted only a day’s police custody, the OC said.

Quoting the FIR, the victim’s relative Md Selim said, "Shahadat had a long affair with the girl. They had a feud over marriage on June 30.”

“The next day, he called the girl over phone to discuss their marriage plan. When she stepped out of her house, four youths, led by Shahadat, dragged her into an auto-rickshaw and took her to an undisclosed place. There they gang raped her.”

They then dumped her, unconscious, in front of her house.

Selim also said that the rapists had warned the victims’ family not approach the police after the incident came to light.

In the wake of the threats, the harassed family took refuge in a home in Feni.

On Tuesday, with the help of local journalists, the victim filed a case under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act at Sonagazi Model Police Station.

The accused are Shahadat, 25, son of Amir Hossain, 'Mahiuddin', 27, 'Shamim', 30, and Mizanul Haque, 24.

The victim’s elder brother told journalists that Shahadat and his cohorts had vandalised their home, making them feel insecure.