The Dhaka Metropolitan Tribunal for Suppression of Violence Against Children has completed the testimony phase in the case concerning the rape and murder of a child named Ramisa in Pallabi, Dhaka. Sixteen of the seventeen listed witnesses, including Ramisa’s parents Abdul Hannan Molla and Parveen Akter, testified before Judge Masrur Salekin’s court on Tuesday. The defense lawyer, Musa Kalimullah, cross-examined the witnesses, after which the court scheduled the defendants’ self-defense hearing for Wednesday, marking the end of witness examination.

The main accused, Sohel Rana, was brought from Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj, and his wife, Swapna Akter, from Kashimpur Jail to attend the hearing. Abdul Hannan Molla appealed to the court for justice and the maximum punishment for the accused, urging lawmakers to enact legislation ensuring verdicts within a month of confession. Witnesses included a magistrate, a doctor, evidence collectors, and local residents.

The case alleges that on May 19, Ramisa, a second-grade student, was lured into the accused couple’s apartment, where she was raped and brutally murdered. The investigation concluded with a charge sheet filed on May 24, later accepted by the tribunal for trial.