Swapna claims innocence, Sohel pleads for forgiveness in his defence

The prime accused in the Ramisa rape and murder case, Sohel Rana, on Wednesday sought pardon in his defence, while his wife, Swapna Akter, denied the allegations in the case.
Judge Masrur Salekin of the Dhaka Metropolitan Children Violence Suppression Tribunal examined the accused and set today for the hearing of closing arguments in the case, tribunal bench assistant Pankaj Peter Gomej confirmed.
Earlier in the day, the accused couple were brought to court from prison and kept in the court lock-up before being produced in the court dock.
At around 11:10am on the day, the judge took the bench and then read out the allegations and the testimonies of 16 prosecution witnesses and asked the accused whether they wished to say anything.
In reply, Sohel Rana sought pardon and said, “Sir, I am innocent.”
He also blamed Dolar and claimed, “Dolar (a man from the Mirpur-11 area, according to Sohel) was with me. Arrest him, sir. He is also guilty.”
I seek acquittal. Please forgive me.”
He also claimed that his wife was innocent and sought pardon, saying, “Forgive me, I have a child.”
Swapna also maintained her innocence and said, “I did nothing. I am innocent. I did nothing.”
Following their statements, the tribunal fixed today for the presentation of closing arguments.
At the conclusion of the hearing, state prosecutor Azizur Rahman Dulu requested that the closing arguments be heard on Thursday, which the court granted.

During the hearing, Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor (PP) Omar Faruk Faruqi and the state-appointed defence counsel, Musa Kalimullah, were also present.
Regarding the development of the case, Faruqi said the proceedings would continue smoothly and expressed hope that the verdict would be delivered early next week.
“I hope this case serves as a precedent and will deliver a message to everyone so that no one dares to commit such a crime in the future,” he said.
Earlier, the tribunal heard testimony from 16 prosecution witnesses in the case on Tuesday and set Wednesday for the presentation of the defence case.
On 19 May, the dismembered body of an eight-year-old child, Ramisa Akter, was recovered from a third-floor flat in a building in Pallabi, adjacent to the victim’s family residence.
Following the incident, Swapna Akter was detained from the scene. Her husband, Sohel, was arrested in Narayanganj after he escaped by breaking the grill of the apartment’s restroom.

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