Chittagong Court Sentences Man to Life for 2022 Child Rape

A court has sentenced 24-year-old Md. Akhtar Sardar to life imprisonment for the rape of a 10-year-old child in 2022.

Judge Syeda Hafsa Jhuma of the Chittagong Metropolitan Child Violence Prevention Tribunal delivered the verdict on Sunday. The court also fined the convict Tk 20,000, with an additional six-month prison term if he defaults on the payment.

According to case records the victim a fourth-grade student, lived with her parents in Nargis Colony within the Sadarghat police station area. The accused originally from Sunamganj district was a neighbor who frequently visited the family. On the afternoon of July 2, 2022 while the child's parents were at work Sardar entered the house assaulted the child and threatened her life if she told anyone.

The crime came to light four days later when the child fell ill. After observing physical injuries her family admitted her to the One-Stop Crisis Center at Chittagong Medical College Hospital. Her father subsequently filed a case with the Sadarghat Police Station.

Following a police investigation a charge sheet was submitted on November 21, 2023. The trial officially began on April 15, 2024.

Public Prosecutor Mahmud-ul Alam Chowdhury Maruf stated that the prosecution successfully proved the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. Sardar was present in court for the verdict and has been transferred to prison under a conviction warrant.