The Dhaka Metropolitan Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal on Sunday sentenced Sohel Rana and his wife Swapna Akter to death in a case of killing an eight-year-old girl after rape in the capital’s Pallabi area on May 19.

Judge Masrur Salekin of the tribunal announced the verdict in a jam-packed courtroom.

Both Sohel and Swapna heard the verdict from the dock.

The verdict, as a rare example, was delivered within 19 days of the incident.

Earlier in the morning, accused Swapna was brought to the court premises from jail at about 8:30am while Sohel was brought minutes after the time.

The victim’s father came to the court at about 10:30am and heard the verdict.

Both the accused were placed in the court lock-up and produced before the tribunal amid tight security minutes before the ruling began at about 11:00am.

Security was beefed up in and around the court premises ahead of the verdict. Additional police personnel were deployed and surveillance was increased in the tribunal area.

A large number of media personnel, lawyers and justice seekers began gathering at the court hours before the verdict was delivered.