Woman raped on way home from capital
Victim’s family sues 4 including autorickshaw driver; one arrested
Mon Jan 20, 2025 12:10 AM
A young woman has allegedly been gang-raped while returning home to Habiganj for her marriage from Dhaka, where she worked as a domestic help.
Police arrested a suspect, Parvez Mia, 25, on Saturday after the incident occurred in Chunarughat upazila last Wednesday night.
Police said Parvez admitted to his involvement during preliminary interrogation.
The 18-year-old victim was admitted to a hospital for treatment.
Her cousin, also a domestic worker, was accompanying the bride-to-be when the victim was returning home to Nabiganj upazila . The cousin, aged 17, was also assaulted.
According to a case filed by the victim’s mother on Saturday, the two cousins hired an autorickshaw after arriving at Shayestaganj upazila on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway around 11:00pm.
The driver later picked up three more passengers and took a detour, ignoring the girls’ objections.
The vehicle stopped in a secluded area of Chunarughat upazila, where the attackers took the 18-year-old to an isolated spot and raped her, the mother said in the case statement. They also attempted to rape the cousin, who managed to escape.
The 17-year-old later returned to rescue her cousin with the help of the residents of a nearby village. They returned home the next morning.
The victim’s mother accused four individuals, including the autorickshaw driver, in the case.
The mother said the perpetrators snatched Tk 1.59 lakh that the bride-to-be had saved while working in Dhaka.
“All our dreams have been shattered by this incident,” the mother said.
Nur Alam, officer-in-charge of Chunarughat Police Station, said police identified the autorickshaw driver and were trying to arrest the other suspects.
