Rapist killer to die in double murder case in Rangpur
RANGPUR, Feb 9, 2023 (BSS) – A court here today sentenced youth Mahfuzar Rahman Rifat, 22, to death for murdering his teenage girlfriend after raping her and her teenage cousin sister in Madhya Ganeshpur area of the city more than two years ago.
The court also fined Rifat Taka one-lakh.
At the same time, the court sentenced the death convict’s accomplice Ariful Islam Arif, 27, to life term imprisonment and fined him Taka 20,000, or in default, to undergo more six-month in prison.
Judge of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-1 of Rangpur Mostafa Kamal handed down the sentence in presence of the convicts.
Special Public Prosecutor of the tribunal Advocate Khandaker Rafiq Hasnine said Rifat is the son of Emdadul Haque of Babukhan Madhyapara area in Rangpur city and Arif is the son of Mohubul Islam of Shahbazpur Khamar area in Rangpur Sadar upazila.
The deceased were paternal cousins Sumaiya Akhter Meem, 16, daughter of Moksedul Islam and Zannatul Mawa, 14, daughter of Mominul Islam of Madhya Ganeshpur area in the city.
On the night of September 17, 2020, Meem brought her cousin Mawa to stay in her bedroom in absence of her parents.
Meem’s lover Rifat went to her house that night following a love affair and had a physical relationship with her.
Later, Rifat murdered Meem following a quarrel among them and hanged her body with a veil on the ceiling fan of her bedroom to divert the incident.
At that time, Rifat also strangled Meem’s cousin Jannatul Mawa to death in that room as Mawa witnessed the incident. Rifat left the room leaving the bodies on the floor.
Kotwali Thana police recovered the bodies of two sisters from the scene on September 18.
The next day, Mawa’s father Mominul Islam filed a murder case with Kotwali police station.
After investigation, police submitted a charge sheet against Rifat and Arif before the court on April 30, 2021.
After hearing the testimony of 23 witnesses, the judge announced the verdict on Thursday afternoon.
Talking to local reporters, Special Public Prosecutor of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-1 of Rangpur Advocate Khandaker Rafiq Hasnine expressed satisfaction over the announced verdict.
