Imam acquitted after DNA test proves innocence in rape case in Feni

PNN News Desk. Feni

In Parshuram upazila of Feni, a mosque imam who spent nearly one month in jail after being accused in a rape case has been proven innocent. A DNA test report confirmed that the biological father of the child is not the accused imam, but the victim’s own elder brother.

The incident is related to the Tetorshor Jame Mosque in a border area of the upazila. Local mosque imam and khatib Mojaffar Ahmed was arrested in November 2024 in connection with rape allegations. The incident caused widespread reaction in the area, and angry locals allegedly attacked and vandalized his house.

Local sources said that after a teenage girl became pregnant, her mother filed a rape case against the mosque imam. Police arrested him and sent him to jail through court proceedings, causing public outrage and social humiliation for the imam and his family.

Later, investigators arranged a DNA test to determine paternity. The report revealed that the accused imam had no biological link with the child. Instead, the test showed that the victim’s elder brother Morshed was the biological father.

After receiving the report, police reopened the investigation. During interrogation, the girl later accused her elder brother of long-term sexual abuse. The accused Morshed was subsequently arrested. Police said he also confessed to the crime in his court statement.

After being proven innocent, Mojaffar Ahmed said he had always maintained his innocence, but no one believed him. He said he lost his job, suffered social humiliation, and had to sell property to cover legal expenses.

He said, “A false accusation destroyed my life. My family and I were under severe mental pressure. Even though the truth has come out, the lost honor and damage cannot be easily restored.”

His lawyer Abdul Alim Moksud said that DNA testing revealed the truth and that an innocent person was wrongly implicated. He may now seek legal remedies.

Parshuram Model Police Station OC Ashraful Islam said police worked with neutrality. After receiving the DNA report, the imam’s name was removed from the charge sheet, and the real accused has been brought under the law.