DU student rape: ‘Rapist’ to be produced before court

Investigators will produce Mojnu, a serial rapist believed to have raped and tortured a Dhaka University student on Sunday, before the court in the afternoon, a day after his arrest.

Deputy Commissioner of DB (north) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Mashiur Rahman said they will seek the court's permission to interrogate the suspect for 10 days in custody.

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested Mojnu from Dhaka's Shewra rail crossing area on Wednesday morning. "Mojnu, 30, hailing from Hatia, used to rape physically challenged women and beggars," Lt Col Sarwar had told reporters.

He choked the DU student and dragged her to a nearby bush. He hit the girl and tried to kill her after rape, the Rab officer said, adding that the offender had admitted to being a serial rapist and a drug addict.

The DU student was assaulted by Mojnu at Kurmitola. She is now undergoing treatment at the One-Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC) of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

The incident sparked widespread protest at Dhaka University and elsewhere. DU students blocked Shahbagh intersection on Monday and gave the authorities a 24-hour ultimatum for arresting the rapist. They protested on Tuesday and Wednesday, too.

Teachers and students of DU on Wednesday demanded capital punishment for the rapist.

How was Mojnu arrested?

Lt Col Sarwar said Mojnu used to work as a hawker and sometimes mugged people.

Rab recovered the mobile phone of the victim and some other items belonging to her from Mojnu.

The offender had snatched the victim's mobile phone and sold it to a woman named Aruna, who later sold it to one Khairul.

"We tracked the victim's phone and detained Khairul from Shewra and then Aruna. We arrested Mojnu from Shewra on early Wednesday based on information given by her," the Rab officer said.

On Monday, the victim informed police that the perpetrator was alone did not have front teeth. Lt Col Sarwar said this helped them identify offender.

Later, he was handed over to the DB police, who was shown arrested in a case filed by the victim's father filed at Cantonment Police Station.