Two Natore men get life for raping indigenous teenager

A Natore court has sentenced two men to life in prison for the 2015 rape of a speech impaired indigenous teenager.

The convicts are 32-year-old ‘Sweet’ alias Kalu and 26-year-old Md Chan Mia alias Ferdous.

They have been also slapped a Tk 100,000 fine each.

Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal’s judge Rezaul Karim announced the verdict on Monday with the convicts on the dock.

The court acquitted three others in the case as charges against them could not be proved, said court clerk Saiful Islam.

According to the case details, the 19-year-old girl was whisked away from Atrai Upazila of Natore on the night of Aug 23, 2015 and gang raped under a bridge at Hossainpur village in Shingra Union.

Five men took turns to rape her and fled the spot. A local woman rescued the girl next morning.

The girl’s identity could not be confirmed due to her speech problems.

Later the news faded away and the victim could not be traced, according to the case documents.

Prosecutor Shahjahan Kabir said Shingra’s Kaliganj police outpost’s Sub-Inspector Abdul Jabbar filed the case after the incident was reported in the media.

Police named Kalu, Ferdous, Mahbubur, Mostak and Mojnu in the case. Natore Detective Branch Inspector Abdul Hai was put in charge of the investigation.

Police secured remand to question the suspects after they appeared in court hearing.

Prosecutor Kabir said a magistrate recorded confessional statements by Kalu and Ferdous after the remand.

The trial started in December 2015 after police pressed charges on the five suspects.