Rape at Raintree: 5 including Shafat acquitted

All the five accused, including Shafat Ahmed, the son of Apan Jewellers owner Dilder Ahmed, have been acquitted in a case filed over the rape of two students at hotel The Raintree Dhaka in the capital.

Judge Kamrunnahar of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-7 in Dhaka on Thursday handed down the acquittal verdict as the charges against them have not been proved.

Previously October 27 was scheduled to deliver the verdict but court activities were closed on the day due to the death of veteran lawyer Abdul Baset Majumder.

Later, the judge concerned fixed November 11 to give a verdict in the case. 

The court statement said two students were raped several times at a birthday programme at hotel The Raintree Dhaka in the capital's Banani area between 9 pm on March 28 and 10 am on the following day in 2017.

On May 6 of the same year, a case was lodged against five people, including Shafat, with Banani Police Station in this connection.

JA/SU