Police submitted a charge sheet against pace-bowling all-rounder of the Bangladesh ‘A’ team Tofael Ahmed Raihan, for allegedly raping a young woman after luring her with the promise of marriage, reports the Daily Sun.
The investigating officer of the case, Sub-Inspector Md Samiul Islam of Gulshan Police Station, confirmed the information on Thursday.
“The charge sheet has been filed under Section 9(1) of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act,” he said.
Meanwhile, court sources said that the next hearing in the case is scheduled for 30 December, and the charge sheet will be placed before the court on that day.
According to the case documents, Tofael first came into contact with the victim on Facebook in January this year and began communicating regularly through Messenger.
As their interaction grew, Tofael proposed a romantic relationship, which the woman initially refused, but she later agreed after Tofael assured her that he intended to marry her.
On 31 January, Tofael took her to a hotel in Gulshan, introduced her as his wife, and raped her. At the time, he assured her that he would marry her within a short period.
He later raped her on several other occasions. But when she insisted on marriage, Tofael refused. Subsequently, on 1 August, the victim filed a rape case at Gulshan Police Station.
On 24 September, the High Court granted Tofael a six-week anticipatory bail and instructed him to surrender to the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal before the bail expired. However, even after the bail period ended, Tofael did not surrender.
According to the charge sheet, no physical evidence could be seized as the alleged rape occurred six months before the case was filed. The victim was also unable to provide any such evidence. A DNA test report stated that no semen was found on the vaginal swab.
However, police seized the hotel’s guest-registration slip and passport copies of both the accused and the victim.
The chargesheet also stated that the allegations against Tofael were prima facie proven based on the details of the incident on the first day, hotel booking documents, medical examination, and other evidence.
Bd-Pratidin English/ AM
