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A Dhaka court on Tuesday asked the investigation team to submit its probe report on the case filed over the rape and murder of an O Level student in Kalabagan area of the city, by February 11.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Begum Yasmin Ara passed the order as the investigation officer (IO) of the case failed to submit the probe report today (Tuesday).
Anushka Noor Amin, 17, an O Level student of Mastermind School in Dhanmondi, was “sexually assaulted and “killed” on January 7, after she went to her friend Fardin Iftekhar Dihan’s house in Kalabagan for group study, her father Al Amin alleged.
The next day, Al Amin filed a case against Fardin Iftekhar Dihan in this regard.
Later, Dihan, the lone accused in the case, gave a confessional statement before a Dhaka court.
Earlier, on January 13, the court permitted the police to conduct a drug test on Dihan.
IO Asaduzzaman of Kalabagan Police Station said the drug test is necessary to know whether the suspect had used any stimulating drug while committing the crime. “We need experts’ opinions after having Dihan’s blood samples tested,” he said.
On January 9, law enforcers released other three youths after interrogation over the matter. Meanwhile, doctors performing the autopsy on the victim found evidence of rape.
On completion of the autopsy, Dr Sohail Mahmud, head of the forensic department at Dhaka Medical College, said she died due to excessive bleeding.
Death penalty for rape looks ‘ineffectual’
The government in November last amended the law changing the maximum penalty to death for rape after nationwide protests sparked by gang rape incidents in Sylhet MC College hostel and Noakhali.
The cabinet approved the amendment on October 12 last year. A day later, the president promulgated an ordinance in this regard.
But after that, 160 incidents of rape took place until December 31, said Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK).
Last year, 1,627 women fell victims to rape. Fifty-three of them were killed after rape and 14 of the victims took their own lives, according to ASK.
But the actual number is believed to be higher as many victims choose not to report assaults fearing their safety.
