Though prime accused Sohel Rana has confessed rape of eight-year-old child Ramisa at Pallabi in the capital, he has tried to put the responsibility of killing her on the shoulders of others.
After he was produced before a tribunal on the day of indictment hearing on Monday (June 1), Sohel Rana claimed shouting before journalists, "I have only raped, Dollar killed her."
At the same time, he claimed that his wife Swapna Akter was innocent.
The indictment hearing against prime accused Sohel Rana and his wife Swapna Akter in the much-talked about case began on Monday (June 1) morning. Earlier, the accused were brought to court from prison by a prison van at around 7:45am and were subsequently kept in the court's holding cell.
Later at about 11:00am, both of the accused were produced before the Dhaka Children Violence Suppression Tribunal of Judge Masrur Salekin.
Just at that time, addressing journalists accused Sohel Rana said: "I have not committed the crime alone. My wife didn't commit any crime. Dollar committed all the crime.I have just raped [Ramisa], but Dollar killed her. Dollar gave me Tk 2 lakh."
Sohel Rana also claimed that the DNA test report was written "automatically," instead of taking sample from his body. When asked about the identity of Dollar, Sohel Rana said he (Dollar) owns a house at Mirpur Section 11 and has a lot of money."
At about 7:45am, two accused were brought to court from prison by a prison van and were kept in the Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court's holding cell.
Among them, accused Sohel Rana was brought from Keraniganj Central Jail, while his wife Swapna Akter was brought from Kashimpur Jail in Gazipur.
Earlier on May 24 last, Pallabi Police Station's investigation officer Ohiduzzaman submitted chargesheet against accused Sohel Rana and his wife Swapna Akter to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Dhaka.
The investigation officer said that the charges of killing after rape against Sohel Rana and abetting to commit the crime against Swapna were proved. Eighteen people were made witnesses in the case.
The case was transferred to the Dhaka Children Violence Suppression Tribunal of Judge Masrur Salekin on the day of submission of chargesheet and the tribunal set the date of today for indictment hearing.
Ramisa, a Class II student at Popular Model High School in Mirpur, was killed in a neighbouring flat in the same building on May 19. Later, she was found beheaded after being raped and killed in the house of her neighbour Sohel Rana.
The following day, Ramisa's father Abdul Hannan filed a case with Pallabi Police Station, accusing Sohel Rana, his wife Swapna Akter and an unidentified person.
According to the case statement, Sohel lured Ramisa into his room, raped her and later killed her. Investigators said he attempted to dismember the body to conceal the crime.
The main accused, Sohel Rana, 34, gave a confessional statement before a court on May 20, admitting that he sexually assaulted and later killed the child.
END/CORRESPONDENT/ASA
