Madrasa teacher 'confesses to raping minor girl'

A madrasa teacher yesterday confessed before a Rajshahi court that he raped a minor girl in Charghat upazila of the district, said police.

The accused, Shahjahan Gazi, 60, is an Arabic teacher of Fatehpur Furqania Madrasa and imam of Sarkarpara Mosque.

Abdullah Al Amin Bhuiyan, judicial magistrate of Rajshahi's cognisance court, recorded the confessional statement as per the law.

Police arrested Shahjahan from his relative's house in Govindapur village of the upazila and placed him before court in the afternoon.

According to police, in the confessional statement Shahjahan said, “I teach people good things but I wrongfully committed the sin and raped the girl for four times.”

Nazrul Islam, officer-in-charge of Charghat Police Station, said Shahjahan raped and tortured her at his home.

The girl's father came to know about the incident when she became pregnant and filed a case with the police station, the OC added.