Schoolgirl allegedly gang-raped at councillor’s home in Pabna’s Sujanagar

Police have detained three people on charges of raping a schoolgirl and forcing her family to pay ransom for her release after confining her to the home of a Sujanagar Municipality councillor in Pabna.

The law enforcers were looking for Councillor Saheb Ali of Ward 2 for questioning after the alleged victim’s mother informed them about the incident, Sujanagar Police Station OC Shariful Alam said.

No case was started until Friday night, Shariful said but declined to name the suspects and the detainees.

But bdnews24.com reached Councillor Saheb on his phone.

“Some boys took that girl to my home on Wednesday evening. I drove them out around 1:30 in the morning (on Thursday),” he said.

The councillor said he had heard that one ‘Anai’ had taken money from the girl’s family, but he knew nothing about the alleged rape.

Saheb’s elder brother Nayeb Ali is assistant publicity secretary of Sujanagar Awami League.

When contacted for comments, Ferdaus Alam Firoz, president of the ruling party’s unit, said they were condemning the incident and  demanding that those involved be punished through due process of law.

The girl, a seventh grader of a local school, lives with her mother, a widow.

The woman said the girl was into a relationship with a young man named ‘Sajeeb’ from Bhabanipur area. She went out with Sajeeb on Wednesday evening without informing her family.

“Anai from Bhabanipur took them to Councillor Saheb Ali’s home saying he will help them get married. But my daughter’s money and golden ornaments were taken away there. Seven people raped her later,” the mother alleged.

Speaking to reporters at the Pabna General Hospital, where the girl was admitted, her mother also said Saheb had demanded Tk 50,000 in return for the release of the girl on Thursday after she had fallen ill. 

“I rescued my daughter and took her to the police station after giving Saheb Ali Tk 20,000 by selling the furniture at my home,” the woman said.

Locals said Anai, son of Zainal Khan, is known to be an associate of Saheb.

The girl said she was confined at the councillor’s home on Wednesday night and her mother took her away on Friday morning.

Doctor Shamima Khatun Polly at the hospital told bdnews24.com that initial medical tests suggested the girl had been raped multiple times.