Dhaka: A case was filed against two policemen, including the Rangunia police officer-in-charge (OC), for destroying the evidence related to the rape of a 12-year-old housemaid allegedly by her employer in the upazila.

The victim’s mother filed the case with the Women and Children Oppression Prevention Tribunal 2 against OC Humayun Kabir and sub-inspector Mojibur Rahman.

On 8 May this year, when mother of the victim went to file a case with Rangunia Police Station accusing her neighbour Shah Alam, who is 55 years old, of violating her daughter, police did not record any case.

The victim used to work as a house help at Shah Alam’s residence at Shilok Minagazir Tilla village in the upazila.

As locals handed Shah Alam to police, the law enforcers set him free, and instead police picked up the victim, her brother and mother on that night and kept them detained them in the police station.

Later, police produced the victim’s brother before the court showing him as the rapist.

On 25 May, a High Court bench of Justice Qazi Reza-ul-Haque and Justice Abu Taher M Saifur Rahman in response to a writ petition attaching a report titled ‘Cops ‘label’ teenage boy as sister’s violator’, published in an English daily on 23 May, asked police to arrest those involved in the rape of the young girl.

The court also asked the Rangunia Police Station to take FIR in connection with the incident, directing its officer-in-charge to submit a report by 15 June in compliance of its order.

The HC issued a rule asking why the refusal to record a case would not be declared illegal and why directives should not be given to take legal action against the accused, including Shah Alam.

Meanwhile, police arrested Shah Alam, the main accused in the case, from Andorkilla area of Chittagong city on Wednesday night, said Mostafizur Rahman, Additional Police Super (North) of Chittagong district.