Bangladeshi Man Sentenced to Death for Child Rape and Murder

A special court in Bangladesh has sentenced a 26-year-old man to death for the brutal rape and murder of a five-year-old girl in the Noakhali district. On Monday afternoon, Farzana Akhtar, the presiding judge of the Noakhali Child Violence Suppression Tribunal, delivered the verdict in a packed courtroom.

The convict, identified as Mohammad Shahadat, a resident of Badalkot Union under Chatkhil Upazila, was also ordered to pay a fine of 100,000 Taka. Shahadat was present in the dock when the sentence was pronounced and was subsequently transferred under heavy security to the Noakhali District Jail to await his execution.

According to court records, the harrowing incident began on 24 March 2022. The victim, a five-year-old local girl, vanished from the vicinity of her family home at around 1:30 pm. Her sudden disappearance triggered an anxious search by relatives and neighbours, but no trace of the child could be found. Following a preliminary police investigation into the disappearance, local law enforcement authorities detained Shahadat as a primary suspect.

During cross-examination, Shahadat confessed to his involvement in the crime. Guided by information provided during his interrogation, investigators discovered the victim’s body on 3 April 2022—nine days after she went missing. The remains had been concealed inside a disused septic tank behind Shahadat’s residence. Following the recovery of the body, the victim’s father filed a formal case with the local police station, leading to Shahadat’s formal arrest.

Shahadat later gave a voluntary confessional statement before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. In his deposition, he admitted that he had lured the young child away to assault her. Fearing that the victim would reveal the assault to her family, he strangled her to death before dumping her body into the septic tank to conceal the evidence.

Public Prosecutor Selim Shahi, representing the state, expressed his satisfaction with the judicial outcome. He remarked that the verdict delivers justice for the victim’s family and serves as a strict warning against such heinous crimes, reinforcing the rule of law within the community.

Speaking outside the courtroom, the victim’s grieving father welcomed the decision, acknowledging that whilst the verdict cannot undo the tragedy, it brings a sense of closure. He urged the relevant authorities to expedite the legal process to ensure the swift execution of the death penalty.