A court in Khulna has sentenced four people to death for killing a three-wheeler driver with an intention to rob the vehicle in 2016.
Judge SM Ashikur Rahman of the Khulna Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court pronounced the verdict on Tuesday.
The convicts are Md Nur Islam and Jony Das of Kishoreganj district, and Md Rony Shikdar and Md Masud Rana Mollah of Chittagong. They have been absconding after getting bail.
Shuvendu Roy Chowdhury, a bench assistant of the court, said that the convicts were also fined Tk50,000 each.
The court also sentenced each to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Tk20,000 on the charge of robbery; and one year jail for non-payment.
They were also sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Tk10,000 for concealing the body, and another six-month imprisonment for non-payment.
A total of 15 people testified in the case.
Deceased Sheikh Wahidur Rahman Ripon was the driver of a three-wheeler in Satkhira. On the morning of January 11, 2016, he left for work but he did not return home at night.
The following day, his younger brother went to Khulna and identified his body upon receiving the news from Labanchara police station.
On the third day, the younger brother filed a case with Labanchara police station mentioning the names of four culprits.
Prosecutor Sabbir Ahmed further said that, on the day of the incident, the four had planned to seize Ripon’s vehicle and they set out for Khulna after fixing the fare at Tk700.
Around 9pm, Masud and Rony tried to strangle the driver using a rope. When they failed, Nur Islam started stabbing Ripon until he died. Later, they left the body beside a road and fled with the vehicle.
When they went to the police check post in Gopalganj area, they were arrested. At one point, they gave confessional statements in court.
The charge sheet was submitted to the court on December 31 the same year by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).