BANGLADESH

A Dhaka court on Wednesday sentenced a former police deputy inspector general and his wife to life for illegally keeping seven children in their custody for trafficking.

Judge Mohammad Arifur Rahman of the Fourth Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal handed down the guilty verdict against Anisur Rahman and his wife 'Anowara'.

Wednesday's verdict came six years after the incident came to light. The judgement is related to seven children although according to reports the couple had 14 children in their custody.

The court also fined the couple Tk 500,000 each. The convicts will have to serve another year in jail if they fail to pay the fine.

Defence lawyer Kazi Mohammad Sazawar Hossain said he would appeal the verdict.

Anowara was present in the court when the judgement was delivered on Wednesday but her husband has jumped bail.

Media reports in May 2006 said that Anowara claimed to be the mother of seven children of similar age. The incident had created a public sensation that time. Allegations had it that the couple kept these children for trafficking.

The couple claimed the 14 children that used to live in their home were their own.

According to media reports, Anisur's wife had undergone permanent birth control measures five years back. If the birth certificate information was true then Anowara had given birth to three of the children within an eight month period.

Advocate Elena Khan, then executive director of Bangladesh Society for the Enforcement of Human Rights (BSEHR), filed a general diary with Badda Police Station against the couple. Later on Feb 6, 2007, the court accepted the complaint as a case as media and rights activists continued to press for it.

According to case details, seven of the 14 children of the couple were very young. Discrepancy surfaced as their information varied from time to time and it emerged that the children were not theirs.

The couple's past deeds made it clear that they illegally collected these children from various hospitals, clinics or from the guardians for trafficking.

On Nov 10, 2006 investigation officer of the case, detective Humayun Kabir submitted the final report to the court.

He sought discharge of the accused from the case, saying the incident surfaced merely because of "misinformation". But when the case's plaintiff objected to the report, the court decided to continue with the case.

According to case details, Jannatul Mariam Nazifa, one of the children, died.

Nafiza, Jannatul Nafiza Rahman, Jannatul Tanisa Rahman , Ayman Rahman Anis, Nafes Akan Anis, Anas Akhand Asin and Diyan Rahman currently stay at the Jatiya Mahila Ainjibi Samity's safe home 'Proshanti' at Agargaon.