A Dhaka court on Wednesday sentenced 15 people to death and two others to life term imprisonment for killing a trader in the Dohar upazila over land related dispute 10 years ago.
First Additional District and Sessions Judge Pradip Kumar Roy delivered the verdict in presence of the convicts.
The death-row convicts are Siraj alias Sheru Karigar, Minhaj alias Minu, Khalil Karigar, Shajahan Karigar, Md Didar, Md Ershad, Kalu alias Kuti Karigar, Azhar Karigar, Miaz Uddin, Mozammel alias Suja, Jalil Karigar, Jalal, Billal, Ibrahim and Abdul Latif.
Those awarded life term imprisonment are Majedan alias Majeda and China Begum.
Among the convicts, Didar, Ershad, Jalil, Ibrahim, Majeda and China were tried in absentia.
The court also fined them Tk20,000 each; and one year more in jail if they fail to pay the fine.
According to case details, there had been long standing dispute over a piece of land between the convicts and the victim’s family.
On April 3, 2008, the convicts attacked cloth trader Nazrul Islam and beat him up mercilessly, leaving him critically injured. They also beat up Nazrul’s wife Surjobhan as she tried to rescue her husband.
Later, injured Nazrul was taken to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
On that day, his uncle Md Nazimuddin Ahmed had filed a murder case with the Dohar police station.
Detective Branch of police Sub-Inspector Md Anowar Hossain submitted the charge sheet against 17 people on July 26, 2008, and the court indicted them on May 25, 2009.
After examining the statements of 14 out of 22 prosecution witnesses, the court handed down the verdict on Wednesday