A seven-year-old schoolgirl was killed and another injured when an auto-rickshaw knocked them down at Kadamtoli in the city on Wednesday, police said. The deceased was identified as Maria Akter, a student of Ashraf Ali Mastar School and daughter of  Md Zulfiker of Juraine. Read: Father-son duo killed in Sherpur road crash Mahbubul Haque, sub-inspector of Kadamtoli Police Station, said the auto-rickshaw hit Maria and Faiza, 7, a student of Ayesha Siddiqua Mohila Madrasha, leaving them injured. Later, they were taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where doctors declared Maria dead, said Inspector Bachchu Mia, in-charge of the hospital’s police camp. Soon after the accident, agitated local people set fire to the auto-rickshaw, halting traffic movement in the area for half an hour. Police arrested the auto-rickshaw driver.

A Cox’s Bazar court on Tuesday sentenced two males to 14 years in prison each, in a case filed over abducting a schoolgirl in the district in 2016. The court of Women and Children Repression and Prevention Tribunal-2 Judge Md Mashiur Rahman also fined the convicts Tk 10,000 each; in default of which they would have to suffer further six months of rigorous imprisonment. Adesh Barua, 22, and Sindha Modhu Barua, 30, are both residents of Ramu upazila in the district. According to the case statement, Adesh and Sindha Modhu kidnapped a class 8 student, Lima Baura, while she was on her way to school from her residence in Fatekharkul Baruapara of Ramu upazila on January 11, 2016. Read: 5 to hang in Ctg naval base blasts case Later, the victim’s mother Purnima Barua filed a case accusing three people at the police station on January 16 of the same year. The court tried the convicts in absentia and handed down its verdict after examining the witnesses and documents, Advocate Syed Rezaur Rahman, special public prosecutor of the court said, adding that another accused by the family was acquitted from all charges in the case.

A 12-year-old schoolgirl died as a boat capsized in Burikeyari haor in Fenchuganj upazila of Sylhet early Wednesday, said police. The deceased was identified as Morshed Jahan Ferdousi, of the upazila. She was a sixth grader of Fariza Khatun Girls’ High School. Read: Lightning strike leaves fisherman dead in Sylhet A boat carrying 17-18 people including Ferdousi sank in the haor around 9 am, said Md Shafayet Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Fenchuganj police station. Although locals rescued the other people the girl drowned in the haor. Later, police fished out the body, said the OC.

A case was filed in connection with the ‘gang-rape’ of a schoolgirl in Mohammadpur upazila of Magura on Tuesday. The rape survivor’s  father lodged a complaint with Magura Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal accusing three people after failing to lodge the complaint at the police station on Monday. The accused are Gholam Rabbani,42, son of Imarat Molla of Kalukhandi village and his associates Ashad,35 and Alamgir, 27 of the same village. Read: Prime accused in Bagerhat gang rape case held Woman and Child Repression Prevention Tribunal Judge Pronoy Kumar Das directed Mohammadpur police to record the case after taking the complaint into cognisance. According to the statement, Gholam Rabbani used to pressurize the victim for developing a love affair with him. As she continuously refused, the accused picked up the girl on Sunday night at gunpoint and took her to a brick kiln where they raped her in turns.  When asked about the refusal to register the complaint, Ashraful Islam, officer-in-charge (Investigation) of Mohammadpur Police Station, said he is not aware of it. "We have already started an investigation after receiving the court order,” added the OC.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have arrested two people in connection with the rape of a class X student by some youths after abducting her in Puthia upazila of Rajshahi. The arrestees are as Rakib, 25, and Mizan, of the upazila. Also read: Khulna police make 6 arrests after indigenous woman gangraped at home Tipped off, a team of RAB-5 Rajshahi and RAB-11 arrested them conducting a drive at Khanpur in Sadar upazila of Narayanganj on Monday night, said Rab in a media briefing in Rajshahi. During primary interrogation, the arrestees confessed to their involvement with the incident. Efforts are on to arrest the other criminals. On April 13, the schoolgirl, who was returning home from a relative's house in a battery-run rickshaw van along with two others, was allegedly abducted and raped by five to six youths in Puthia upazila. Also read:Attempted rape victim commits suicide in Bogura: 2 arrested The miscreants snatched money and mobile phone sets of the rickshaw van passengers and then forcibly took the girl to a banana orchard, where they took turns to rape her, according to the survivor. The girl later managed to reach Begar Mor area and narrated her ordeal to locals, said Officer-in-charge of Puthia police station, Shahrowardy Hossain.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have arrested a man from Sreepur upazila of Magura district over the murder of a schoolgirl ‘after rape’. The arrestee is Hasan Sheikh, 23, a three-wheeler driver and son of Fazlu Sheikh of Hatshrikol village of the upazila. Read:Four tie up man in Khulna, rape wife Sreepur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Sukdev Roy in a press conference said the arrestee confessed that he had raped the girl before murder and it was preplanned. Razia Khatun, 12, was found dead on the banks of the Kumar River near her residence in Hatsrikol village of Sreepur upazila on Friday. A case was filed at Sreepur police station in this regard.

A Tangail court on Monday sentenced a man to death in a case filed over killing a schoolgirl after raping her in 2020. Tangail Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal judge Khaleda Yasmin passed the order in presence of the convict. The death row convict is Mazedur Rahman,26, son of Anwar Hossain from Moddhopara village in Tangail sadar upazila. Also read: 9 to die in Naogaon for triple murder On September 9, 2020, a fourth grader student of a local school went missing as she went to collect sugarcane from a field beside her home in the afternoon. Later in the evening her body was recovered from a bush near her house, said Public prosecutor advocate Ali Ahmed. Next day, Mazedur was arrested from his home after a case was filed at Tangail sadar police station in this regard followed by a complaint lodged by the victim's brother. In primary interrogation Mazedur confessed to strangulate the girl to death with her scarf after raping her. He also gave a confessional statement before court. Also read: Jamalpur schoolgirl ‘kills self after rape’; Accused youth held

A 9th grade school girl was gang raped Tuesday in Dholarhat of Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila. The incident occurred in Haragachh village of Dholarhat union when the girl went to meet her boyfriend. The victim alleged that her boyfriend, Sujan, a 10th grade student of Islamnagar High School and resident of Debiganj village, and 4-5 others including Ashraful and Biplob raped her. Sujan took her to a chicken farm away from her house where his companions were waiting. Afterwards they left her unconscious near her house at midnight, she said. READ: 30-year-old rapes schoolgirl in Magura, held Her father said that at around 1.30 am he heard his daughter crying in the yard. He came out of the house and found her bleeding. He also saw several wound marks on her body. That night, the victim was taken to a local doctor and a union parishad member was informed about the incident, her father said. Officer-in-charge (OC) of Ruhia Police Station Chittaranjan Roy said he had not received any written complaint from the family yet. However, the crime scene was identified according to the victim’s description. The victim's medical examination was also completed on Wednesday and attempts were being made to identify the accused, the OC said. READ: Man to die for killing woman after rape in Ctg Meanwhile, victim's brother-in-law Sohel Rana said that the family was preparing to file an abduction and rape case.

A 10th grader has allegedly been gang-raped by three youths on her way from school at a village of Faridganj upazila in Chandpur District, according to a complaint received by police. According to the girl’s family, the incident occurred on Saturday when the girl was returning home from school at noon. On the way, “the miscreants picked the girl and, took her to Lipi Begum's house, where they raped her hands tied and mouth covered with a cloth. They also recorded the video of the alleged crime. The survivor alleged that Lipi Begum, 32, wife of Farooq of the same village, had assisted in it. Also read: 5 held over rape of 2 indigenous girls in Mymensingh The alleged rapists are- Shimul, 24, son of Harun Mizi of Saisanga village of the upazila, Ijaz Hossain, 23, son of Bahar Patwari of Maizer Bari in Noapara village and Sabbir Hossain, 24, of Ashta village. They threatened to spread the video on the internet if the girl disclosed the matter to anyone. "The victim filed a complaint on Sunday afternoon in connection with the incident and efforts were being made to arrest the accused”, said Mohammad Shahid Hossain, officer-in-charge of Faridganj Police Station. Sexual assaults on women continue unabated in Bangladesh, despite the government introduced death penalty for rapes in 2020. Also read: Rape in Chattogram: step father held Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) data shows that 1,018 children were raped in 2020 alone, but only 683 police cases had been filed. Also, 116 survivors were six years old or below. Overall, 1,627 rape cases were reported in 2020 and 53 of the women were killed by the perpetrators while 14 took their own lives, as per the data. However, ASK's data is just the tip of the iceberg, according to aid agencies, who report that most women are too afraid to report rape.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) have detained three people including the prime accused in a case over violating a schoolgirl in Cox’s Bazar. They were detained from different parts of Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar district s on Monday, said Commanding officer of Rab-15 Lieutenant Colonel Khairul Islam Sarkar on Tuesday. Read: Cox's Bazar gang rape: Another accused held Md Ashique, 27, son of Nazrul Islam of Uttar Nunuachhara of Cox’s Bazar district town, was detained from Anwara upazila of Chattogram district around 11:30 pm. The elite force members also detained Kamrul, no 4 accused in the case and Mohammad Shaheen, manager of Mom’s Guest House, from different areas of Cox’s Bazar district on Monday night, he said while speaking at a press briefing. During preliminary interrogation, Ashique  reportedly confessed to his guilt to Rab officials. On December 13, Ashique along with two others picked the girl up in a vehicle when she was returning to her home. Read: Woman raped by 3 in Chuadanga; 2 held Later, they took the girl to Mom’s Guest House where they violated the girl repeatedly after keeping her confined there for two days. On December 18, father of the girl, lodged a complaint against nine people and police later recorded the case.