Dhaka, May 17 -- A court has handed down the death penalty to Hitu Sheikh, the key suspect in the rape and murder of an 8-year-old child in Magura.

Three other suspects in the case -- Hitu's sons Sojib Sheikh and Ratul Sheikh, and his wife Zaheda Begum -- were acquitted.

Magura's Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal Judge M Zahid delivered the verdict in the much-discussed case on Saturday, according to Public Prosecutor Monirul Islam Mukul.

Earlier in the morning, the four defendants were brought from prison to the Magura court under tight security.

The verdict comes just two months and 11 days after the incident.

The 8-year-old child from Magura's Sreepur Upazila was raped while visiting her sister's house on Mar 6.

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