Sitakunda child killing: Accused Babu Sheikh sentenced to death
The convict, Babu Sheikh, was also sentenced to life imprisonment for abduction and 10 years' rigorous imprisonment for attempting to rape the child.
A Chattogram court today (9 July) sentenced a man to death for killing seven-year-old Jannatul Nesa Ira Moni, who died after her throat was slit in Chattogram's Sitakunda.
The convict, Babu Sheikh, was also sentenced to life imprisonment for abduction and 10 years' rigorous imprisonment for attempting to rape the child. He was fined Tk2,50,000 in total, with an additional two years and six months of imprisonment if he fails to pay the fines.
Judge Jannatul Ferdous of the Chattogram Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-4 delivered the verdict.
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Confirming the development, Tribunal Bench Assistant Abbas Hossain told The Business Standard that the court handed down the death sentence after finding the murder charge proven against the accused.
"The trial was completed within 13 working days," he added.
Public Prosecutor Advocate Md Sarowar Hossain Lovelu said the prosecution was satisfied with the verdict, describing it as justice for a brutal and heartbreaking murder.
"We want the verdict to be executed as soon as possible after completing the necessary legal process at the High Court so that no one dares to commit such crimes in the future," he added.
Trial completed in 13 working days
The case was transferred to the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-4 on 16 June.
The tribunal accepted the police charge sheet on 17 June and framed charges against the sole accused, Babu Sheikh, on 18 June.
Witness testimony began on 21 June, and the court recorded statements from 16 prosecution witnesses, including the investigating officer.
The accused's statement under Section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedure was recorded on 29 June. He later presented defence evidence, while final arguments from both sides concluded on 2 July.
The court had fixed 7 July for delivering the verdict after completing the trial proceedings. The verdict was finally delivered today.
During his statement, Babu Sheikh claimed he was innocent. However, he said he was not in a normal mental state at the time of the incident and could not understand how it had happened.
Child died after alleged attack
Ira Moni, a Class II student at a local government primary school, lived in the Masterpara area of Chhoto Kumira in Sitakunda. Her father, Monirul Islam, is a battery-powered three-wheeler driver.
According to the case documents, Babu Sheikh allegedly lured Ira Moni out of her home on 1 March by offering to buy her chocolates and take her on an outing.
He then took her to the Chandranath hill area in Sitakunda, where he allegedly attempted to rape her.
When the child screamed, he allegedly slit her throat with a sharp weapon and left her in a ravine, believing she was dead, according to the investigation.
The critically injured child later managed to climb up the hillside and reached a nearby road, where workers involved in road repair rescued her.
She was first taken to Sitakunda Upazila Health Complex and later transferred to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, where she died while undergoing treatment on 3 March.
Accused arrested after incident
The victim's mother filed the murder case with Sitakunda Police Station.
Police arrested Babu Sheikh from the Kumira area of Sitakunda on 3 March. He gave a confessional statement before a court the following day.
The accused, a resident of Moddhom Pulupura in Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha, had been living in a rented house next to Ira Moni's family.
The investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Md Kamruzzaman of Sitakunda Police Station, submitted the charge sheet on 11 June under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act and relevant sections of the Penal Code relating to murder.
Police said the victim's family and the accused's family lived next to each other and had a long-standing dispute.
According to the investigation, Babu Sheikh planned the killing over a personal dispute with Ira Moni's father and took the child to the hill area as part of the planned attack.
