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Published : 07 Jun 2026, 10:39 AM
A Dhaka court has begun reading out the verdict in the rape and murder case of 8-year-old Ramisa Akter in Pallabi.
The case has reached the judgment stage in just five working days, setting what judicial officials say will be a record for the fastest completion of a trial of its kind in Bangladesh.
On Sunday at 11am, Judge Masrur Salekin of the Dhaka Metropolitan Child Repression Prevention Tribunal began delivering the verdict.
Security has been reinforced around the court premises ahead of the ruling.
The victim's family is expecting the highest punishment for the accused in the Ramisa rape-murder case.
Abdul Hannan Molla, the father of the deceased, said, “We are expecting the maximum sentence of death for the accused. We hope that the court will give the maximum sentence.”
The two accused in the case, Sohel Rana and his wife Swapna Akter, have been produced in the court to hear the verdict. Additional police personnel have been deployed in the court premises surrounding the verdict announcement.
The arguments in the case were presented last Thursday. During the arguments, state prosecutor Azizur Rahman Dulu read out the statement given by Sohel Rana. It emerged that Swapna opened the door to the room that day, giving Sohel a chance to escape.
On May 20, Sohel gave a confessional statement in the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Aminul Islam Junaid.
He said, “My name is Sohel Rana. I live on the third floor of the building in that house.
“There are three rooms there. Three families live in three rooms. Everyone in the house goes to work by 6 am. I regularly do drugs.”
In his statement, Sohel said: “Yesterday (May 19) at 9:30am, I saw 8-year-old Ramisa from the house next door and called her. When she came to me, I took her to the bathroom. When she screamed, I covered her mouth.”
The accused gave a horrific account of raping the child and dismembering various parts of her body.
Sohel said, “Around 10:30 in the morning, during the search for Ramisa, her mother saw shoes in front of my house and called out. When she didn’t get a response, people came and knocked on my door. When I got scared, my wife told me to run away. “Without any other way, I cut the grill and ran outside. When the agitated people knocked on the door, my wife blocked the door and helped me escape. Later, my wife opened the door.”
How the Case Proceeded
On May 19, police recovered Ramisa’s body from a flat in Pallabi.
Investigators said the child was killed that morning, after which the prime suspect Sohel Rana allegedly dismembered the body before fleeing.
Police apprehended Sohel’s wife Swapna from the flat, while he was detained from Narayanganj’s Fatullah the same evening.
He later confessed in court, according to police records.
Hannan filed a case with Pallabi Police on the day of the incident.
The investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Ohiduzzaman of Pallabi Police, submitted the chargesheet against the suspects on May 24, after which the case was transferred to the tribunal for trial.
After Eid holidays, Judge Masrur Salekin ordered the case to proceed to trial after framing charges against Sohel and Swapna on Jun 1.
The next day, the witness deposition was completed. The court heard statements from 16 of 17 state witnesses, including Ramisa’s family members, neighbours, and police officers.
During the defence hearing on Jun 3, Swapna pleaded not guilty and sought justice.
Sohel apologised and told the judge, “Sir, I’m innocent. I want an acquittal. Please forgive me.”
After the defence hearing, the date for the presentation of arguments was set for Jun 4, when Public Prosecutor Dulu claimed that the charges against the suspects were substantiated and sought the maximum sentence.
State-appointed defence lawyer Musa Kalimuliah pleaded for a “lighter” sentence for his clients.
After the arguments on Thursday, the court set the date for the verdict on Sunday.
The brutal incident of rape and murder sparked outrage across the country. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visited the victim's family members and expressed his condolences. He assured that the trial would be completed quickly.
With the verdict on Sunday, the murder trial is set to be the quickest in Bangladesh’s history, coming within five working days from the start of witness testimony.
