A Dhaka tribunal has sentenced a man to death, 14 years after he murdered his wife over dowry in the capital’s Kamrangirchar area.
Judge Munshi Md Moshiar Rahman of Dhaka’s Women and Children Repression Suppression Tribunal-4 delivered the verdict on Sunday in the presence of convict Sayed Ahmed. The court also imposed a fine of Tk2 lakh on him.
The Dhaka District Magistrate has been directed to sell the convict’s movable and immovable property and give the proceeds to the victim’s son, said Rashedul Islam, bench assistant of the court.
According to the case’s first information report, Sayed Ahmed and Rehana Begum got married on 25 June 2010. From the beginning of the marriage, Sayed used to beat her for dowry money and to transfer the house registered in Rehana’s name.
On 29 September 2012, Rehana’s mother, Rezia Begum, went to the house bought in her daughter’s name in Kamrangirchar. After calling for a long time, Sayed opened the door. Rezia saw Sayed and his brother Shofi Ahmed there. She found Rehana lying down with her son.
When she touched her daughter’s body to wake her up, she found the body cold and red marks on her face. Seeing that she was not breathing, Rezia screamed. Local people rushed over and advised taking her to the hospital, but Sayed and Shofi objected.
A woman named Kulsuma told Rezia that Sayed used to fight over transferring the house as dowry, and that on that morning, Sayed and his brother had been beating Rehana. Upon hearing the news of her daughter’s death, Rezia lost consciousness.
When Rezia regained consciousness, she learned that Rehana had been taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Sayed and Shofi claimed Rehana had suffered a stroke. She was hastily buried at Azimpur Graveyard.
Rezia went to Kamrangirchar Police Station to file a case, but the authorities did not register it. Later, on 9 October, she filed a case against Sayed and Shofi at the tribunal.
The tribunal ordered Kamrangirchar Police Station to investigate the complaint. On 16 October, police submitted a report suggesting that Rehana’s body could be exhumed from the grave and sent for autopsy.
When Rezia filed an objection, the court ordered CID police to conduct further investigation. CID Police Inspector Lutfur Rahman investigated and submitted a report implicating Sayed, though he found no evidence against Shofi.
Subsequently, charges were framed against Sayed and the trial began. During the trial, the tribunal recorded the testimony of 11 witnesses.
On Sunday, the court produced Sayed from jail and announced the verdict in his presence. He was sent back to jail with the death warrant.
