The accused, Anwar Hossain Rana, was arrested during a joint operation in the Ramganj area of Lakshmipur district on Thursday night, according to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). He is the prime accused in a case filed at Sherpur Sadar Police Station on 30 October under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.
Major Labid Ahmed, company commander of RAB-14’s CPC-1 in Jamalpur, confirmed the arrest. The information was disclosed in a press release issued by RAB on Friday morning.
According to the case statement cited in the press release, Rana became acquainted with the girl, then aged 16, through a mobile phone. Their communication gradually developed into a romantic relationship, during which he allegedly promised to marry her.
On 23 December last year, Rana allegedly called the girl away from her father’s home and took her to a house in Sherpur town. There, he arranged what was purported to be a marriage ceremony through a person posing as a marriage registrar, commonly known as a kazi. The girl was asked to sign a blue-coloured piece of paper, which was presented as part of the marriage process.
Following the purported ceremony, Rana allegedly established a husband-and-wife relationship with the girl and created the impression that their marriage was genuine. They subsequently began living as a married couple, both at Rana’s home and at the girl’s father’s residence.
During this period, the girl became pregnant. When she was approximately seven months pregnant, she reportedly asked Rana to provide the marriage registration document, known as a kabinnama, as proof of their marriage.
However, instead of producing the document, Rana allegedly continued to delay the matter on various pretexts. His reluctance to provide the marriage papers eventually raised questions about the validity of their purported marriage.
The situation reportedly took a different turn on the morning of 7 August, when Rana allegedly demanded Tk 300,000 from the girl as dowry. Her family refused to meet the demand, describing it as unacceptable.
According to the complaint, Rana became furious following the family’s refusal, verbally abused the girl and disclosed that he had never legally married her. He then allegedly left the place without providing any further explanation.
Following this incident, the girl and her family contacted several kazi offices in Sherpur to verify the marriage. Their enquiries reportedly revealed that no marriage registration record or kabinnama existed in their names.
Realising that the purported marriage had been arranged through deception, the girl subsequently filed a case against Rana at Sherpur Sadar Police Station. The complaint alleges that he staged a marriage ceremony, exploited her trust and used the false husband-and-wife relationship as a means of establishing a sexual relationship with her.
Following the filing of the case, RAB launched efforts to locate and arrest the accused. Acting on specific information and intelligence reports, an operational team from RAB-14’s CPC-1 in Jamalpur joined forces with members of RAB-11’s CPC-3 in Lakshmipur.
The joint team conducted an operation in Lakshmipur and eventually arrested Rana from the Ramganj area on Thursday night.
Major Labid Ahmed said the arrested man had subsequently been handed over to Sherpur Sadar Police Station for further legal proceedings.
The case has brought renewed attention to the risks of deception in relationships initiated through mobile phones, particularly when minors are involved. It also highlights the importance of proper marriage registration and legal safeguards against exploitation.
In Bangladesh, a marriage is not established merely through a ceremony or the signing of an informal document. Proper legal procedures and registration are essential to establishing an official marriage record. The allegations against Rana, including the purported fake marriage, dowry demand and sexual exploitation, will now be subject to investigation and judicial proceedings.
