Speech impaired girl 'raped' in Dhaka slum

A 15-year-old speech impaired female garment worker was rescued yesterday after allegedly being confined and raped by a rickshaw-van puller for two days in a Bhashantek slum in the capital, said police.   

Traced by family members and neighbours at noon, the girl has been admitted to the gynaecology ward of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said One-Stop Crisis Centre Coordinator Dr Bilkis Begum.

No complaint has been filed yet and police raided different areas to nab the culprit, said Bhashantek Police Station Officer-in-Charge (investigation) Asaduzzaman.

Her neighbour, Khokon Mia, told The Daily Star over the phone that the alleged rapist, Siddique, has four wives in different areas. Siddique lured the girl to the slum on Tuesday night while she was returning home at another slum in the area from her workplace in Kachukhet after withdrawing her wage of Tk 10,000, he added. 

The victim is the lone bread earner of her family comprising a younger brother, sister and widowed, mentally challenged mother, said Khokon.