A Kushtia court has sentenced Ekram Molla to life imprisonment with hard labour for raping a 15-year-old girl with a mental disability in Bheramara. The judge of the Kushtia Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal, H M Shafiqul Islam, delivered the verdict on Tuesday afternoon in the presence of the convicted man. The court also imposed a fine of Tk50,000.

Ekram Molla is the son of the late Majid Molla of Goshaipara village in Bheramara upazila. According to court sources, the incident occurred at around 7am on October 10, 2020, when the girl had taken shelter at the accused’s home. The source said Molla forcibly raped her there.

The girl later told her mother about the incident. Her mother then filed a rape case against Molla with Bheramara Police Station. Public Prosecutor Advocate Abdul Majid said seven witnesses testified in the case, and the court found the charge against the accused proven beyond reasonable doubt after the hearing.