Chargesheet filed against Sohel, wife in Ramisa murder case

Police on Sunday filed a chargesheet against prime suspect Sohel Rana and his wife, Swapna Akter, in the rape and brutal murder of eight-year-old Ramisa Akter in Dhaka’s Pallabi area, just five days after the shocking incident triggered nationwide outrage.
Investigators submitted the chargesheet to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Dhaka, accusing Sohel of rape and murder, while his wife was charged with assisting the crime and attempting to conceal evidence. The case is now set to be transferred to the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal for speedy trial proceedings.
According to police, the chargesheet was prepared based on forensic evidence, witness statements, and the accused’s confessional statement recorded under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code. A total of 15 witnesses have been listed in the case.
The victim, a second-grade student of a local school, was allegedly lured into the suspects’ apartment by Swapna Akter on the morning of May 19. Police said Sohel Rana then raped the child inside the bathroom and later killed her by slitting her throat after sensing that the victim’s mother was searching for her outside the flat.

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Investigators said the accused attempted to hide the crime by dismembering parts of the body and concealing the remains inside the apartment. Residents later broke into the flat after becoming suspicious and discovered the child’s body.
Police arrested Swapna Akter from the scene, while Sohel Rana fled by cutting through a window grill. He was later arrested in Narayanganj’s Fatullah area the same evening following a manhunt aided by technology-based tracking, police said.
During interrogation and in his court confession, Sohel reportedly admitted to the crime and claimed he was under the influence of yaba at the time of the incident.