Ramisa Rape And Murder Case

TDS Desk:

Accused Sohel Rana in the Ramisa rape and murder case said that he was not solely responsible for the crime, alleging the involvement of a third party he referred to as “Dollar” and insisting that his wife had no role in the incident.

“I am not the only one guilty, my wife is not involved. The blame lies with someone called Dollar. I only committed the rape, but Dollar killed her,” he told journalists after the hearing on the framing of charges in the case on Monday (1 June).

He further claimed that he received Tk200,000 and alleged irregularities in the DNA test process. When asked about the identity of “Dollar”, he described the person as a wealthy individual from House No. 11 in Mirpur.

Earlier, the accused Sohel Rana and his wife, Swapna Akter, were produced before the Dhaka Metropolitan Children Violence Suppression Tribunal, led by Judge Masrur Salekin.

The accused were earlier held in the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Court lock-up before being brought to the courtroom from prison shortly after 11:00am.

Sohel Rana was brought from Keraniganj Central Jail, while his wife Swapna Akter was brought from Kashimpur Jail under police escort.

Earlier on 24 May, the investigating officer of the case, Pallabi Police Station Sub-Inspector (SI) Ohiduzzaman, submitted a charge sheet before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Dhaka against both accused.

According to the investigation report, allegations of rape followed by murder against Sohel Rana and aiding the crime against his wife Swapna Akter were substantiated. A total of 18 witnesses have been listed in the case.

On the same day, the case was transferred to the Dhaka Metropolitan Children Violence Suppression Tribunal, where Judge Masrur Salekin fixed today’s date for the charge-framing hearing.

With this, key stages of the case—including initial investigation, DNA testing, submission of the charge sheet, and its acceptance by the court—have been completed.

State-appointed Public Prosecutor Azizur Rahman Dulu said efforts would be made to ensure a swift trial. “We will perform our duties to ensure the case is concluded quickly. The tribunal will make the final decisions,” he said, adding that he was not commenting on political assurances regarding speedy justice.

According to the case statement, on May 19 at around 9:30am, Ramisa Akter, a second-grade student of Popular Model High School, left her home when accused Swapna Akter allegedly lured her to their flat. After a search, family members and neighbours forced entry into the residence and discovered the child’s decapitated body in a bedroom, while her severed head was found in a bucket inside the bathroom.

Following the incident, the main accused, Sohel Rana, fled the scene by cutting through a window grille but was later arrested from Narayanganj. Both accused have reportedly given confessional statements and are currently in custody.