Prime suspect among three held for raping teenage girl

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and police detained three youths, including the prime suspect, on allegations of raping a teenage girl, abducting and confining her for four days in the capital.

Two of the detained reportedly raped the eleventh grader and another attempted rape, said law enforcement.

RAB detained the prime suspect, Monir Hossain Shuvo, from the capital's Lalbagh area, said Khandaker Al Moin, media wing director of RAB, at a press briefing.

On Thursday, police detained the two other suspects Al-Amin alias Billal, and Sobuj, said Hazaribagh police inspector (operations) Enamul Haque.

A case was yet to be filed till 8:30pm on Thursday, said the police official.

The RAB officer said, "Monir denied the abduction and gang-rape allegation. Rather, he said they met on 12 February and stayed together till 16 February."

"Monir, a private university student, claimed he was introduced to the girl a month ago by another friend. They had earlier met several times," he added.

However, the victim, now in a one-stop crisis centre of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, complained that she was abducted on Saturday and gang-raped for four days from 12-16 February.

A group of youths reportedly threw off the 18-year-old girl from a car in Dhaka University's TSC area on Wednesday. Informed, police rescued and took her to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

According to the victim, her neighbour Monir used to disturb her. "As I refused his proposal, Monir and Al Amin picked me up on 12 February when I went out of the house. I was taken to an unknown place where they, with two others, drugged me and raped me for four days," she added.

During primary investigation, police found that Monir and Al-Amin raped the girl after giving her sedatives, but Sobuj made a failed attempt.

Inspector Enamul said Sobuj tortured the girl after the rape attempt.

Al-Amin, father of four children, and unmarried Sobuj, do not have any specific occupation, he added.

Police also said it was difficult to verify the information as they received contradictory information and different addresses from time to time.

"One of her neighbours said the girl works at a factory and went to her sister's house in Patuakhali two weeks ago. The girl's sister said the victim left for Dhaka 10-12 days ago following a quarrel. Since then she had not talked to her," according to Hazaribagh officer-in-charge Moktaruzzaman.

Quoting the victim's mother, the police official said the girl came to Sadarghat on 12 February from where Shuvo took her to a friend's house where she was raped.