Man sentenced to death for rape, murder of 9-year-old in Cumilla
The trial concluded in 19 working days, with the convict having confessed to the rape and murder in a statement before a magistrate.
A Cumilla court today (23 July) sentenced a man to death for raping and murdering a nine-year-old girl, delivering the verdict after completing the trial in 19 working days.
Cumilla Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-1 Judge Md Yasin Arafat sentenced Mofizul Islam Mofu to death after finding him guilty of raping and murdering Jhumur, a Class III student.
According to the case documents, Jhumur went missing on 29 April 2024 while returning home from Sonali Shishu Vidyaniketan in Kheyayish village under Cumilla Sadar Dakshin upazila after school. When she did not return home, her family began searching for her.
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Later that day, locals found her body in a paddy field in the Kheyayish Thakurbari area. Police recovered her schoolbag, uniform and shoes from the scene.
Investigators said the child had been raped before being strangled to death. Witnesses also reported seeing Mofu leaving the area shortly after the incident.
The following day, Jhumur's mother, Razia Akter, filed a case with Sadar Dakshin Police Station, naming Mofu as the sole accused.Three days later, members of the Rapid Action Battalion arrested Mofu in Chandpur.
During the investigation, he confessed before a magistrate to raping and murdering the child in a statement recorded under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Following the verdict, Public Prosecutor Badiul Alam Sujon said, "The court completed the trial in just 19 working days before sentencing him [the accused] to death. This verdict will serve as an important example of ensuring justice without unnecessary delay."
