four men were sentenced to death, two in absentia, for the rape and murder of a teenage girl at Godagari, Bangladesh.

four men were sentenced to death, two in absentia, for the rape and murder of a teenage girl at Godagari, Bangladesh. Helal and Rakibul of Komarpur village were handed down the death penalty in a crowded court and fugitive accused Lalon and Basir were also sentenced to death. Three others were acquitted. According to the prosecution, Mursheda, 16, of Nimtala village, went to the nearby bank of the river Padma at about 7pm on June 2, 1999. As she did not return, her mother and sister after an hour-long search found Mursheda dead on the bank of the river. She was found dead, the body half-naked. Police arrested Helal and Rakibul who in their confessional statement admitted that they and Lalon and Basir raped Mursheda and slaughtered her with a sharp knife.