Chittagong: A Chittagong court on Thursday placed Shah Alam, who was accused in a case for raping a 13-year-old girl at his residence in Rangunia, on a three-day remand in police custody to be quizzed.

Senior judicial magistrate Qudrat-e-Elahi passed the order when police produced accused Shah Alam, 55, before the court and sought a five days to interrogate him.

The accused was held by police from Andorkilla area of the city at about 10:00pm on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a tribunal has dismissed a case against two policemen, including the OC of the Rangunia police, for destroying the evidence related to the rape of the minor girl.

Judge of Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal 2 Mir Shafiqul Alam gave the order on Thursday dismissing the case, which was filed by the victim’s mother on Wednesday, on grounds that two cases have already been filed in connection with the rape and the allegation is already under investigation.

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

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

Local people handed Shah Alam to police, but the law enforcers set him free. Police picked up the victim, her brother and mother on that night instead, and kept them detained 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 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.