DHAKA, BANGLADESH — In a swift and historic judicial response that has gripped the nation, a special tribunal in Dhaka has handed down the death sentence to Sohel Rana and his wife, Swapna, for the brutal rape and murder of eight-year-old Ramisa Aktar.
The verdict, delivered following an accelerated trial, has been hailed by Attorney General Barrister Md. Ruhul Quddus Kajal as a "milestone in the judicial process" for its unprecedented speed in seeking justice for the young victim.
The Incident: Horror in Pallabi
The horrific crime took place on the morning of May 19, 2026, in the Pallabi area of Mirpur, Dhaka.
According to police records and case details, eight-year-old Ramisa Aktar left her family's apartment around 9:30 AM. Shortly after, she was lured into a neighboring rented flat occupied by Sohel Rana and his wife, Swapna.
The alarm was raised when Ramisa’s mother, Parveen, realized her daughter was missing. While searching the building, family members and neighbors noticed Ramisa's small shoes sitting directly outside Sohel Rana's door.
When neighbors confronted Swapna and entered the apartment, they discovered a scene of absolute horror. Ramisa had been locked in the bathroom, sexually assaulted, and brutally murdered. To conceal the crime, her body had been dismembered and beheaded.
The Roles of Sohel Rana and His Wife
The investigation quickly revealed the distinct roles played by the couple in the execution and attempted cover-up of the crime:
Sohel Rana (The Main Perpetrator): Rana fled the apartment immediately after the murder as neighbors began to gather. Following a rapid police manhunt, he was arrested and later gave a confessional statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). In his confession before Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Aminul Islam Junaid, Rana admitted to trapping, raping, and killing the child. Villagers from his hometown later came forward to reporters, noting that Rana had a long history of misdeeds and antisocial behavior before moving to Dhaka.
Swapna (The Wife & Accomplice): Swapna was detained at the scene by furious neighbors and immediately handed over to the police. While she initially tried to pin the entirety of the blame on her husband during preliminary questioning—claiming he locked the child in the bathroom while she was present—the prosecution successfully argued her active complicity in facilitating the crime and attempting to cover up the gruesome murder inside their shared home.
Public Outrage and a Swift Verdict
The sheer brutality of Ramisa's murder triggered massive public outrage across Bangladesh, sparking protests and demands for immediate capital punishment. The gravity of the case drew political attention, with high-profile visits to the grieving family's residence.
Faced with severe national grief and anger, the judicial system moved with emergency speed. The trial concluded in a matter of weeks, culminating in the death penalty for both defendants.
Even the defense lawyers involved acknowledged the weight of the evidence, stating after the verdict that justice had truly been served. Ramisa's father, speaking through tears to local media, described the unbearable pain of his reality: "I am the father of a rape victim, the father of a dismembered body."
The death reference hearing is currently moving before a special bench of the High Court to finalize the execution orders, marking an aggressive stance by the Bangladeshi judiciary against crimes targeting children.
