6 robbers confess to raping mentally challenged woman in Khagrachhari

At least six arrestees except for the prime suspect in a gang rape, that took place early Thursday in Khagrachhari, have confessed to their crimes.

A Khagrachhari court recorded their confessional statement from 3pm to 9pm on Sunday, confirmed police.

However, as prime suspect Nurul Amin did not confess, police pleaded the court to grant a seven-day remand for him.

The court set Wednesday to give the remand order, confirmed Muhammad Rashid, officer-in-charge of Khagrachhari Sadar police station.

Meanwhile, police said there was no communal motive behind the gang rape of a disabled woman by a group of robbers early Thursday in Balpaiya Adam of Khagrachhari Sadar Upazila.

The robbers raped the woman after tying her up, said police’s Chittagong Range Deputy Inspector General Md Anwar Hossain, on Sunday.

The arrested robbers also confessed to raping the woman, during questioning after they were caught, he said at a press briefing in the morning at the district superintendent of police’s (SP) office.

Police identified the arrested as Nurul Amin, Belal Hossain, Iqbal Hossain, Abdul Halim, Shahin Mia, Md Antar, and Abdur Rashid. They are from Khagrachhari Sadar, Guimara, Ramgarh, and Mataranga upazilas.

SP Md Abdul Aziz also said that the seven men were arrested during raids in different areas of Chittagong and Khagrachhari districts.

“There were a total of nine robbers who looted that house and raped the woman. Apart from arresting the seven, police have also recovered the looted items,” Aziz said.

“The arrested were taken to court after their confessions matched the accusations made against them in the case. We are conducting raids to arrest the others too,” he added.

The gang of robbers swooped into the woman’s house in the early hours of Thursday, where they tied up her parents and took turns to brutally rape her. The attackers fled after robbing gold ornaments and mobile phones.

The victim’s mother filed a case accusing nine people on Thursday afternoon, while Sadar Hospital’s Medical Officer, Dr Purno Jibon Chakma, told reporters that the woman’s medical test has also been completed.

SP Aziz said eight of the nine men who robbed the family and raped the woman with disability, were accused in multiple cases filed over different charges, including rape, robbery, and firearms.

“These men met and got acquainted in prison. They carried out robberies in different areas after coming out of prison on bail. They had also planned to rob this family late on Wednesday night,” he added.

Meanwhile, Tripura Students Forum and Bangladesh Marma Students’ Council have been demonstrating in Khagrachhari town demanding justice for all rape survivors in the district and for exemplary punishment of the perpetrators.