A court has sentenced Maruf Hasan Badhan to death by hanging for the 2019 rape and murder of his lover in an abandoned train carriage at Dhaka's Kamalapur Railway Station. The judge stated in the verdict that failing to punish such crimes would send a harmful message to society. The ruling was delivered by Muhammad Shamsul Islam of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal on Thursday.
Badhan, brought to court from jail, listened to the verdict being read before the judge announced the death sentence. The judge emphasized the gravity of the crime, noting that Badhan had exploited the trust of the young woman, bringing her to Dhaka, raping her, and then killing her.
The case documents reveal that on August 18, 2019, the woman fled from Panchagarh to Dhaka with Badhan after they became romantically involved. Unable to find a hotel, they stayed at the Kamalapur Railway Station. Badhan then took her to an abandoned train compartment, where he raped and killed her by strangling her with a veil. Her body was discovered the following morning by railway workers. The victim’s identity was confirmed after her father was contacted using her birth certificate found in her bag.
The police arrested Badhan on August 23, 2019, after a case was filed by the girl's uncle. He was later charged and convicted following the testimonies of 14 witnesses.
