A Dhaka court has handed down the death penalty to a man in a murder case filed nearly 11 years ago in Jurain’s Rishipara area.
The convict is Robin, alias Tera Robin. He has been fined Tk1 lakh, and in default, one year of simple imprisonment has been imposed.
The court also sentenced two other accused, Ripon and Masud, to life imprisonment on Wednesday. Both Ripon and Masud received Tk2 lakh fines each, with two years’ imprisonment in default.
Dhaka’s Ninth Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Khorshed Alam announced the judgement, said the court’s Bench Assistant Milon Hossain.
Only Robin was present in court, while Ripon and Masud remain absconding, prompting the court to issue arrest warrants against them.
Besides, the court acquitted two other accused, Robin alias Piyari’r Pola Robin and Tanvir, as the charges brought against them were not proven. Both had been absconding since the start of the trial.
The judge described the killing of Sohel as “cruel and calculated.” He added, “The family does not expect such a murder. The court believes the perpetrators deserve the maximum punishment.”
According to the case statement, victim Sohel worked at a tailor shop in Kaliganj, Keraniganj. Around noon on 19 September 2015, Sohel was sitting with his cousin at a hotel in front of a local mosque.
Around 3pm that day, Robin and the others lured him to the roof of a single-storey house in Rishipara. The convict shot Sohel in the head and then stabbed him in the stomach, chest, and throat to ensure his death before fleeing, the case said.
Sohel’s mother, Sufia Begum, filed the murder case with Kadomtali Police Station the same day. Investigators submitted a charge sheet accusing five on 31 January 2017. The trial began on 9 February 2020, with the court hearing 19 witnesses.
