Police have detained an auto-rickshaw driver named Md. Sohel, 35, on charges of attempting to rape a seven-year-old child in the Senbagh upazila of Noakhali district.
The suspect was apprehended by local residents in the Nutan Bazar area on Sunday night. After receiving a mass beating from an angry mob, he was handed over to the law enforcement authorities.
According to the police, Sohel is the son of Siddique Ullah and Nur Nahar, hailing from the Baliakandi area of Bijbagh union under Senbagh upazila. Following his arrest, he was provided with primary medical treatment at the Upazila Health Complex for injuries sustained during the mob beating.
The Incident
Police and local sources reported that around 11:30 AM on Sunday, the victim’s father put the seven-year-old child onto Sohel’s auto-rickshaw to send her home, along with some palmyra palm fruits (locally known as taler dab).
When the auto-rickshaw arrived in front of the victim’s house, one of the palm fruits accidentally dropped from the child’s hand onto the ground. Under the pretext of picking up the fruit, Sohel allegedly kissed the child on the lips in an attempt to sexually assault her.
The child’s mother witnessed the act from a distance, prompting the driver to quickly flee the scene with his vehicle.
Catch and Detention
Later that evening, around 7:30 PM, local residents spotted Sohel in the Nutan Bazar area and surrounded him. An infuriated mob subjected him to a mass beating before dialling the national emergency helpline, 999, to report the matter.
Upon receiving the call, a team from the Senbagh Police Station rushed to the spot, rescued the suspect from the crowd, and took him into custody.
Legal Action
Confirming the incident, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Senbagh Police Station, Abdur Rahim Sarkar, stated, “Local residents detained an auto-rickshaw driver named Sohel over allegations of sexually assaulting a seven-year-old child. On receiving the information, our team went to the scene, rescued the injured suspect, and brought him to the station.”
The OC added that a case has been filed under the relevant sections of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act. The accused was forwarded to the Noakhali Juvenile Court on Monday afternoon.
