Couple sentenced to death for rape and murder of girl in Bangladesh's fastest trial

People shout slogans during a protest over alleged child rape in Dhaka on May 22, 2026.

| Photo Credit: AFP

A court in Bangladesh on Sunday (June 7, 2026) sentenced a couple to death for the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl, delivering its verdict after just five days of hearings in what prosecutors said was the fastest murder trial in the country's history.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Child Repression Prevention Tribunal handed down the sentence 19 days after the incident, which triggered nationwide outrage and renewed concern over violence against women and children.

Judge Masrur Salekin sentenced Sohel Rana and his wife, Swapnaa Khatun, to death and imposed fines of Taka 5 lakh ($4,073) and Taka 2 lakh, respectively. The court ordered that the compensation be paid to the victim's family.

"They will be hanged by the neck until they are dead," the judge said as the two convicts were produced before the packed courtroom.

The court said that if the fines were not paid, the convicts' movable and immovable properties could be confiscated and auctioned to recover the amount.

Prosecutors said the proceedings were completed in five days after the court received the police charge sheet, making it the fastest murder trial in Bangladesh's history.

No private lawyer agreed to represent the accused, prompting the court to appoint a state lawyer to defend them. The state-appointed lawyer sought life imprisonment instead of the death penalty for Rana and a lesser sentence for Khatun.

The girl's father said he was satisfied with the verdict and hoped it would be implemented quickly.

Special Public Prosecutor Azizur Rahman Dulu said the family had received justice and expressed satisfaction with the verdict.

Under Bangladeshi law, death sentences awarded by trial courts must be reviewed and confirmed by the High Court before they can be carried out.

Attorney General Ruhul Quddus Kazal said his office would seek an expeditious hearing once the trial court records were received.

Law Minister Mohammad Asaduzzaman expressed hope that the legal process, including review and appeal proceedings, could be completed within three months if the relevant Supreme Court bench accords priority to the case.

Police recovered the girl's dismembered body from the couple's apartment in Dhaka's Pallabi area on May 19. Investigators said she was killed earlier that day, after which Rana allegedly dismembered the body before fleeing.

Khatun was arrested at the apartment, while Rana was detained later the same day in Fatullah, on the outskirts of Narayanganj. Police said Rana later confessed before a court.

The case drew widespread attention amid reports by rights groups and media organisations of rising incidents of child abuse and sexual violence in Bangladesh.

A recent study by Bangladesh's Supreme Court and non-profit organisation BRAC found that the conviction rate in such cases stood at about three per cent, while around 70 per cent of accused persons were eventually released.

Published - June 07, 2026 10:11 pm IST