A tribunal in Panchagarh has sentenced a 26-year-old man to death for the brutal rape and murder of a woman he befriended during a train journey. The convict, Rifat Hossain Sajjad, son of Akhtar Hossain from Majhgram village in Boda upazila, was also fined BDT 100,000 by the court.
Judge Hossain Mohammad Fazlul Bari of the Panchagarh Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal handed down the verdict on Monday afternoon in the presence of the accused.
The case traces back to the early hours of 14 January 2025, when police recovered the mutilated body of an unidentified woman near Kismat railway station in Atwari upazila, Panchagarh. Initial police reports suggested that the victim had been murdered elsewhere before her body was dumped on the railway tracks to simulate an accident.
Investigators initially registered an unnatural death case, as the victim’s identity remained unknown and immediate clues were scarce. Weeks later, a family from neighbouring Thakurgaon district identified the deceased as their missing daughter and subsequently performed her final rites.
A major breakthrough in the stagnant investigation occurred nearly two months later, on the night of 8 March 2025. Local residents apprehended Sajjad in the Kismat area while he was attempting to steal an electric tricycle (easy bike) and handed him over to the police. During a routine search of his mobile phone, officers discovered a recorded video of the victim.
Under intense interrogation, Sajjad confessed to the crime and detailed the sequence of events leading to the murder.
According to police records, Sajjad first met the woman on the night of 13 January 2025 aboard the Ekota Express train travelling from Dinajpur to Panchagarh. After earning her trust during the journey, he persuaded her to disembark with him at Kismat railway station.
He then led her to an abandoned house near the station and subsequently into an adjacent betel nut grove, where he subjected her to repeated sexual assault. The situation escalated into a violent altercation when the victim demanded her mobile phone and money back from Sajjad. In a fit of rage, Sajjad strangled her to death.
To conceal his crime and destroy physical evidence, Sajjad dragged the body onto the railway tracks before fleeing the scene. Following his confession and the recovery of crucial evidence, Atwari police station filed a formal murder case against him.
Following the completion of the investigation, law enforcement submitted a charge sheet to the court. After evaluating the forensic evidence, witness testimonies, and case documentation throughout the trial, the tribunal found Sajjad guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
Public Prosecutor Khalilur Rahman expressed satisfaction with the verdict, stating that the ruling serves as a vital precedent for justice in cases of severe violence against women.
