Chittagong: A Chittagong court on Tuesday awarded life imprisonment to a man for raping a young girl at Koroldanga village in Boalkhali upazila of Chittagong in 2000.

Judge Mohammad Rezaul Karim of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal- 1 delivered the judgment convicting Mohammad Shafik alias Shafiqul Islam, court sources said.

The court also fined him TK 50 thousand for the same offence.

According to the prosecution, the convict forcefully took the victim to a remote hilly area at Middle Koroldanga area under Boalkhali upazila of the district and raped her when the victim went there to bring back their cows on 18 October in 2000.

The next day, the victim's father filed a case with Boalkhali police station in this connection accusing Shafik.

Police submitted charge-sheet on 16 January 2001 while the court framed charges on 16 August the same year.

After examining six out of ten prosecution witnesses today, the court awarded the judgement convicting Shafik who is absconding.