Private university girl on remand over friend’s rape and death
According to the case statement, the victim was given an excessive amount to drink and later raped
A Dhaka court has issued a five-day remand against Farzana Zaman Neha, friend of a private university student who died on 31 January after allegedly being raped.
Satyabrata Sikder, magistrate at the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court passed the order after Mohammadpur Thana police produced her before the court, seeking a 10-day remand, Prothom Alo reported, quoting public prosecutor Hemayet Uddin Khan.
On 31 January, the victim's father filed a rape case with Mohammadpur police station, accusing five individuals - four by name and one anonymous. However, the anonymous individual, now identified as Safayet Jamil, surrendered on Thursday before law enforcement members on his own volition. He was later sent to jail after a hearing.
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In the case statement, the victim's father claimed that his daughter, a private university student, went to see her friend Arafat in Lalmatia from the capital's Mirpur area on 28 January. Arafat and another accused Martuza Raihan Chowdhury then took her to a restaurant in Uttara. Neha, who had been already waiting in the restaurant, along with Safayet, joined the group and gave the victim an excessive amount to drink. When she fell ill, they took her to the Mohammadpur residence of another accused, Nuhat Alam Tafsirin, where Martuza raped her.
When her condition deteriorated, they admitted her to Anwer Khan Modern Hospital. She died at the hospital's intensive care unit on 31 January.
However, the hospital authorities claimed that the student died of unidentified poisoning and according to the physician who conducted the autopsy, no evidence of rape was found.
According to the case documentation, a court granted a five-day remand against both Murtaza and Nuhat on 31 January. They are both currently in police custody.
Mohammadpur Police Station's Officer-in-Charge Abdul Latif told Prothom Alo that the arrested accused of the rape case are now being interrogated. Another accused Arafat has died and the court has been informed about his death.
