A court in Dhaka has sentenced a man to death for killing his wife over dowry demands in Kamrangirchar 14 years ago.
On Sunday, Judge Munshi Md Moshiyar Rahman of the Dhaka Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-4 delivered the verdict, sentencing Sayed Ahmed to death.
In addition to the death sentence, the court fined the convict Tk 2 lakh. It also ordered that, in default of payment, the amount be realized by auctioning his movable or immovable property and handed over to the victim’s family. Public Prosecutor Ershad Alam (George) confirmed the matter.
During the hearing, defence counsel Aminul Gani Titu cross-examined the prosecution witnesses. He told the court that the victim had died due to diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, and not as a result of dowry-related violence. He further alleged that the case had been filed to harass the accused.
According to the case statement, Sayed Ahmed married the victim, Rehana Begum, in 2010. After the marriage, he allegedly subjected her to physical and mental abuse to force her to transfer ownership of her residence to him.
On June 29, 2012, Rehana’s mother found her daughter dead when she visited her home. At the time, the accused claimed that she had died of a stroke and hurriedly buried the body at Azimpur graveyard.
Later, on October 3, 2012, the victim’s mother, Rezia Begum, attempted to file a case with Kamrangirchar Police Station, but police refused to accept it. She subsequently filed a case with the tribunal. Following a court order, the body was exhumed for a post-mortem, which revealed that Rehana had been beaten and strangled to death.
After completing the investigation, CID Inspector Lutfor Rahman submitted a charge sheet against Sayed Ahmed under Section 11(a) of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2000. The prosecution presented a total of 11 witnesses before the court.
After reviewing the evidence and testimonies, the court observed that the murder over dowry had been conclusively proven. Following the verdict, the convict was sent to prison under a warrant of conviction.