4 to die for rape, murder

A Lalmonirhat court has sentenced four people to death for gang-raping and murdering a college student, Parvina Begum.

A special tribunal to curb violence against women and children gave the verdict on Tuesday afternoon in the presence of the accused.

Badsha Halim, 27, Mahbub Hossain, 27, and Rashidul, 25, from Lalmonirhaat Sadar, and Ataur Rahman, 25, from Singerdabri, have been handed down the death sentence.

Prosecution lawyer Safura Begum Rumi told media that Parvina Begum, daughter of a rural doctor, Salim Uddin Mondal, of the Lalmonirhat Sadar Upazila, went missing while returning home in a car on Jan 10, 2010.

“Police recovered her body from a pond in Panchagram Union’s Ratidhar village. The autopsy report said Parvina had been gagged to death after gang-rape.”

The victim’s elder brother Shafiqul Islam filed a case with the Sadar police, she said. “Police arrested Badsha that very day. From his confessions led to the arrest of Mahabub, Rashidul and Ataur.”