A Rangpur court on Monday sentenced death penalty to two people – Ratan Mia and Saiful Islam – over the killing of lawyer Asadul Haque.
At the same time, the court gave life imprisonment to a woman named Morsheda Begum while imposing a Tk50,000 fine on each of the convicts.
Asadul Haque, a famous lawyer of Rangpur, was stabbed to death by miscreants in broad daylight at his house in Dharmadas Baro Auliya area of Rangpur city in 2020.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Court-1 Judge Hasan Mahmudul Islam handed down the verdict on Monday afternoon.
The court also directed the police headquarters to take departmental action against police inspector Rabiul Islam on the charge of negligence in the investigation of the case.
According to the case file, on June 5, 2020, lawyer Asadul Haque's wife, son and daughter went to visit Mithapukur village house leaving Asadul alone at home. Around 2:30pm, accused Ratan Mia and Saiful Islam entered the house to steal. When Asadul caught them, an associate of Ratan Mia escaped. Ratan Mia stabbed Asadul in the neck and stomach while running away. Later, the locals caught him with the knife used in the murder and handed him over to the police.
Later, Moshammat Arfin Nahar, the younger daughter of the deceased, filed a murder case at Rangpur Metropolitan Tajhat police station accusing Ratan Mia and Saiful Islam as the plaintiffs. Later in the investigation, Morsheda Begum's name came up.
As the police inspector Rabiul Islam tried to divert the investigation, the CID was given the responsibility of investigating the case. CID filed a charge sheet in the court in the name of accused Ratan Mia, Saiful Islam and Morsheda Begum.
After the testimony of 27 witnesses and cross-examination, the court found the accused Ratan and Saiful Islam guilty and sentenced them to death.