“Childhood is not safe?”— the child prey to the lustful gaze of the old van driver in Hatibandha

Police have arrested a battery operated van driver named Abu Taleb (60) on the charge of raping a seven-year-old child in Hatibandha upazila of Lalmonirhat. He was arrested from his home in Adarsh ​​village of Barakhata union of the upazila in the early hours of Tuesday (June 2). The arrested Abu Taleb is the son of deceased Shayal Sheikh of Dolapara village of Barakhata Union.
According to the police and local sources, the victim child went out with friends on the afternoon of May 29. After wandering around, he got into the battery operated van of the accused Abu Taleb to return home with Tk 20 from his grandfather’s salon shop. Allegedly, Abu Taleb took the child to a secluded garage of a nearby sawmill (chamill) by tricking him to deliver him home. There he forcibly raped the child and ran away.
Konomat returned home in a van and told his grandmother the details. When the child’s physical condition seriously deteriorated, the family members quickly admitted him to Hatibandha Upazila Health Complex. However, the doctor on duty shifted him to Lalmonirhat Sadar Hospital for better treatment as his condition was critical. The child is currently undergoing treatment there.
The day after the incident, the child’s parents filed a case under the Prevention of Women and Child Abuse Act against the unnamed accused at Hatibandha police station. After the case, the police entered the field. In the absence of any eyewitnesses, the police made maximum use of information technology (ICT) and confirmed the identity and location of the accused with the help of local sources. After that, Abu Taleb was arrested from his home in a raid on Tuesday morning.
OC (Investigation) of Hatibandha police station Mosharraf Hossain confirmed the truth of the incident and said,
The incident is being investigated with utmost seriousness. With the help of information technology, the accused was arrested only after obtaining irrefutable evidence of his involvement. The arrested accused has already been handed over to the court. Investigation of the case and subsequent legal proceedings are continuing with utmost importance so that the family of the child victim gets speedy justice.After this incident, local residents expressed their anger and demanded exemplary punishment of the old van driver involved.