The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Friday arrested content creator Ripon Mia, 33, the prime accused in a rape case involving a 14-year-old schoolgirl in Netrokona Sadar Upazila.
He was arrested during a raid in the Mohisharan-Achintyapur area of Gouripur Upazila in Mymensingh on Friday morning, according to a RAB-14 press release issued in the afternoon.
According to a RAB-14 press release issued on Friday afternoon, a team from the elite force's Headquarters Company arrested fugitive accused Ripon Mia during a raid conducted on a tip-off. He was later handed over to Netrokona Model Police Station.
According to the case statement and police, Ripon had allegedly harassed the victim on several occasions under the pretext of making videos. At around 8:00pm on July 30, he allegedly went to the girl's house, told her he had an urgent matter to discuss, took her to the northern bank of the Mogra River and raped her.
After the incident came to light, a local arbitration (salish) was held at a BNP party office in a nearby market on Monday night, where locals decided to fine Ripon Tk500,000 and oust him from the village.
Ripon was given one week to pay the fine and leave the village. The incident drew widespread attention after videos of the arbitration were circulated on social media. The victim's father later filed a rape case with Netrokona Model Police Station on Tuesday night.
Several videos of the arbitration have since gone viral on Facebook. In one 30-second clip, Ripon appears to admit to the allegation and apologises to those present. At one point, he says, "Whether I made a mistake or not, I did. I have to live among you all. People make mistakes, and I made one."
Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abul Khayer of Netrokona Model Police Station said Ripon had been produced before the court.
Ripon, a resident of a village in Netrokona Sadar Upazila, works as a carpenter. He rose to prominence by creating videos on social media from 2016 and now has nearly 1.9 million followers on a Facebook page launched in 2019.