A tribunal in Meherpur on Thursday sentenced two teenagers to 10 and seven years of imprisonment respectively for murdering their friend following a dispute over playing the online games PUBG and Free Fire. Judge Ali Masud Sheikh of Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal delivered the verdict.
The convicts are Mostafa Al Mujahid, 15, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison alongside a Tk10 lakh fine, and Junayed Islam Hamim, 14, who received a seven-year jail term and a Tk5 lakh fine.
Both are residents of Minapara village under Gangni Upazila in Meherpur district. Public Prosecutor Advocate Mostafizur Rahman Tuhin confirmed the court’s decision.
According to the case details, on the afternoon of 26 June 2021, Rezwan Al Abir was called over by his two friends, Mujahid and Hamim. Abir subsequently left his home on a motorcycle with his friends, carrying his mother’s mobile phone.
In the evening, the two teenagers used the mobile phone to call Abir’s father, Asaduzzaman, a Malaysian expatriate, via Imo app. Speaking in Hindi, they demanded a ransom of Tk1 lakh and threatened to murder Abir if the money was not paid.
Upon receiving the threat, Asaduzzaman immediately informed his family in Bangladesh over the phone, and the police were also notified.
The police quickly reached the scene and took Mujahid and Hamim into custody. During interrogation, the duo admitted to having a dispute with Abir over playing PUBG and Free Fire, and confessed that they had murdered him.
Based on their confession, police recovered Abir’s body from Manikdia Balia Gari field that very night. On the same night, the victim’s mother, Rozina Khatun, filed a murder case at Gangni Police Station. The court delivered its verdict after recording testimonies of 11 witnesses during the trial.
The tribunal also directed the district commissioner to take necessary measures to realise the fines by auctioning the moveable and immoveable properties of the convicts’ families, and to hand over realised funds to the victim’s family. Senior Advocate Khandaker Abdul Motin represented the defence.
