Man Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Keraniganj Child Rape, Court Orders Asset Sale to Cover Fine

A court has sentenced a man to life in prison for the rape of a six-year-old child in the South Keraniganj area of the Dhaka district.

Judge Munshi Md Moshiar Rahman of the Dhaka Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal delivered the verdict on Sunday.

The tribunal’s Prosecutor Ershad Alam said convict Sajeeb Bepary was also fined Tk 100,000 in addition to his prison sentence, adding that a failure to pay the fine would result in an additional year in prison.

The judge ordered the district magistrate of Dhaka to collect the fine by selling the convict’s movable and immovable assets and give it to the victim and her family.

Sajeeb was present at the tribunal when the verdict was announced. After the verdict, a warrant was issued and he was sent to jail.

Sajeeb hails from Barishal’s Kazirhat Upazila. He and his family lived in a rented house in South Keraniganj.

The victim also lives in the same area. Her father is a rickshaw puller by profession, and her mother is a domestic aide.

According to the case dossier, the girl's father left home with his rickshaw on May 5, 2020. Her mother also went to work. At around noon, Sajeeb took the girl and her two-year-old brother from in front of their house to his house. Later, he raped the child.

When the child cried, Sajeeb threw them both out of the house. The girl informed her family about the incident and she was admitted to the OCC of Dhaka Medical College Hospital on May 13.

Later, her father filed a case with the South Keraniganj Police Station and the police arrested Sajeeb. He gave a confession to the court.

After an investigation, Sub-Inspector Sanjay Malo filed the chargesheet with the court on Aug 29 of that year. After that, Sajeeb was indicted and the trial began.

The court heard the testimony of seven people during the trial before delivering a guilty verdict on Sunday.