Chandpur man arrested for raping ex-wife's sister

A man has been arrested for allegedly raping his former sister-in-law at his home in Ragdoil village of Kachua in Chandpur on the pretext of marriage.

Mofizul Islam, 38, was arrested on February 3 from his home after his wife filed a police complaint. He appeared in court on Thursday, and the verdict sent him to custody in jail, officials said on Friday.

Sub-Inspector of Sachar police outpost Anowar Hossain said Mofizul recently divorced his wife and started an affair with his former sister-in-law.

"He took the woman to his house and then raped her, promising to marry her," the officer added.

Islam was arrested following an FIR under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act that was lodged at the police outpost due to his former wife's initial complaint, Anowar said.

Rapes in Bangladesh

Cases of rape are on the rise in Bangladesh, despite the government introducing death penalty for the heinous crime.

According to data compiled by Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), a rights group, 1,018 children were raped last year, but only 683 cases were filed at police stations. Among them, 116 children were below the age of 6 years old.

At least, 1,627 cases of rape were reported last year and 53 of the victims were murdered by the perpetrators after the act of crime, while 14 victims committed suicide, the ASK data reveals.

Last November, Bangladesh introduced the death penalty for rape cases, following days of protests that rejected sexual violence against women.

Although many appreciated the government for introducing the death penalty, gang rapes in Bangladesh have continued to populate headlines.

In October last year, the country was rocked by huge protests after a woman was attacked and raped in the Noakhali district. In another case in Sylhet a week later, a woman was gang raped at a hostel, triggering nationwide protests again.