Neighbour arrested over alleged rape of 14-year-old girl in Dhaka's Pallabi

Police have arrested a 50-year-old man on allegations of raping a 14-year-old girl in Dhaka's Pallabi area. 

The accused, Md Anwar Hossain Sayeed, was arrested this morning (4 July) from Section 10 of Pallabi after the victim's family alleged that he had raped the girl in the early hours at a house in Block A of the neighbourhood.

Later in the day, the victim's brother, Md Sultan Mahmud, filed a case with Pallabi Police Station under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, naming Anwar as the sole accused.

According to the first information report (FIR), the victim's family and the accused lived in the same building. The complaint alleges that Anwar had repeatedly harassed the girl and made inappropriate proposals to her. 

Early today, while she was returning from the common toilet, he allegedly gagged her and dragged her into his bedroom. There, he allegedly assaulted her, pressed a pillow over her face until she lost consciousness, raped her and later abandoned her unclothed near the building's water point.

The FIR states that another resident discovered the girl before dawn while going to the mosque and alerted other residents. Family members rescued her and took her to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where she is undergoing treatment, police said.

Following the incident, locals detained Anwar, assaulted him and handed him over to police. Pallabi Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Hasan Basir confirmed the arrest and told The Business Standard that the accused would be produced before a court tomorrow. 

He said the victim had been sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for a medical examination. The victim's family and locals also blocked the road at Mirpur-10 this afternoon, demanding exemplary punishment for the accused