A Dhaka court has set November 19 to record the defense testimony of Sakhawat Ali Nobel, husband of slain film actress Raima Islam Simu, and another accused, S.M. Farhad, in the high-profile murder case.
On Monday, the Fourth Additional District and Sessions Judge Court of Dhaka, presided over by Nusrat Jabeen Nimmi, fixed the date. During the hearing, both accused declared their innocence and appealed for justice. After recording their statements under Section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, they petitioned the court to present witnesses in their defense, leading the judge to set November 19 for the deposition.
Advocate Md. Shafiqul Islam Sumon confirmed the development. The prosecution's evidence phase concluded on October 6, during which 20 out of the 33 enlisted witnesses testified before the court.
According to case documents, on the morning of January 17, 2022, police recovered an unidentified woman's body stuffed in a sack from bushes beside a paved road, about 300 yards north of the Alipur Bridge in Hazratpur Union, Keraniganj, on the outskirts of Dhaka. Later, utilizing fingerprint analysis and information technology, law enforcement identified the victim as film actress Raima Islam Simu.
The charge sheet states that Simu was murdered between 7:00 AM and 8:00 AM on January 16, 2022, following a domestic dispute. In connection with the killing, the victim's brother, Harunur Rashid, filed a murder case at the Keraniganj Model Police Station on January 18.
Following an investigation, Keraniganj Model Police Station Inspector Shahidul Islam submitted a chargesheet to the court on August 29 of that year, naming Nobel and Farhad as the prime suspects. The formal trial commenced on November 29, 2022, with the indictment of the two accused.
