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A Sylhet court on Tuesday sentenced one man to death and three others to life imprisonment for the 2020 gang rape of a young woman at MC College, while acquitting four other accused.
According to court sources, the case was transferred to a Speedy Trial Tribunal, where testimony from 24 witnesses was recorded, including the survivor, her husband, the investigating officer, a judicial magistrate, an MC College teacher and a forensic expert from Osmani Medical College Hospital.
The incident occurred on the evening of September 25, 2020, when a group of men intercepted a couple’s private car near the main gate of MC College as they were returning from the Shah Paran Shrine.
The attackers allegedly took the couple to the college dormitory, confined the husband and gang-raped the woman inside the vehicle. They were also accused of robbing the couple and unlawfully detaining their car.
The survivor’s husband filed a case with Shah Paran Police Station that night, naming six suspects.
During the investigation, two more alleged accomplices were identified. A separate case over extortion and wrongful confinement of the vehicle was also heard alongside the rape case.
Although the accused initially went into hiding, all eight were arrested within three days in joint operations by police and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
During the investigation, several accused gave confessional statements before the court.
Investigators also said DNA evidence matched six of the eight accused.
On December 3, 2021, the then investigation officer of Shah Paran Police Station, Inspector Indranil Bhattacharjee, submitted the charge sheet against all eight accused.
Following the framing of charges, witness testimony and final arguments, the court delivered its verdict on Tuesday.