Ramisa Murder Case
Sohel and His Wife Claim Innocence in Ramisa Murder Case
Photo: Agamir Somoy
The accused in the rape and murder case of child Ramisa, Sohel Rana and his wife Swapna Akter, claimed their innocence before the court on Monday. The trial officially began with the framing of charges in the case.
During the hearing, the accused pleaded not guilty and sought justice. Judge Masrur Saleqin of the Dhaka Children Violence Suppression Tribunal ordered the framing of charges after the hearing and set Tuesday for witness testimony. Following witness examinations, defense arguments, and closing submissions, the verdict will be announced.
Earlier in the day, both accused were brought to court separately from prison in different prison vans and were later kept in the holding cell of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court. Under police escort, Sohel was brought to the dock at 10:55 AM, followed by Swapna at 11:07 AM. Shortly after being placed in the dock, Swapna reportedly fell ill, and female police officers on duty sprinkled water on her face. She later regained composure.
At around 11:10 AM, the judge entered the courtroom, and proceedings in the Ramisa rape and murder case began. State-appointed defense lawyer Musa Kalimullah argued for the discharge of the accused. On the other hand, Public Prosecutor Omar Faruk Faruqi and Special Public Prosecutor Azizur Rahman Dulu of the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court presented arguments in favor of framing charges. After hearing both sides, the court rejected the plea for discharge and ordered charges to be framed.
During the hearing, the judge asked the accused whether they considered themselves guilty or innocent regarding the incident. In response, both claimed innocence and requested fair justice. At that time, Sohel Rana stated that his wife had no involvement in the crime.
According to the case statement, on the morning of May 19, around 9:30 AM, Ramisa left her home, and accused Sohel Rana allegedly lured her into a room on the third floor of the building. At approximately 10:30 AM, while searching for Ramisa, her mother reportedly noticed Ramisa’s shoes outside the accused’s room. After receiving no response, she entered the room with other residents of the building. Inside the bedroom of Sohel and Swapna, they allegedly found Ramisa’s decapitated body, while her severed head was found inside a bucket. Swapna was reportedly standing there at the time.
On the day of the incident, Ramisa’s father, Abdul Hannan Molla, filed a case at Pallabi Police Station naming both individuals as accused. Swapna Akter was arrested first, followed by the arrest of Sohel Rana from Fatullah in Narayanganj. The following day, on May 20, prime accused Sohel Rana reportedly gave a confessional statement in court. On the same day, the court ordered the imprisonment of Swapna Akter.
After completing the investigation, on May 24, the investigating officer of the case and Sub-Inspector Ahiduzzaman of Pallabi Police Station submitted a charge sheet against both accused. The charge sheet named Sohel Rana and Swapna Akter as accused. On the same day, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ashraful Haque accepted the charge sheet and transferred the case for trial. Judge Masrur Saleqin of the Dhaka Children Violence Suppression Tribunal later accepted the charge sheet and scheduled the charge-framing hearing for June 1. Additionally, the Ministry of Law appointed Musa Kalimullah, a member of the Dhaka District Bar Association, as a state-funded lawyer for the defense.
