Four members of a local robbery gang have been sentenced to death for the brutal murder of one of their men and his family members including two children over extra-marital affair at Keraniganj last year.
Judge SM Kuddus Zaman of the Dhaka’s District and Sessions Judge’s Court pronounced the verdict yesterday in presence of the convicts.
The death-row convicts are CNG Sumon alias Datu Sumon, Daku Sumon alias Sumon Dhali, Zakaria Hossain Jony and Mohammad Nasir Ali – all residents of Keraniganj. Daku Sumon’s wife Afsana Akter was acquitted.
The deceased are Saju Ahmed, 35, his wife Ranji Begum, seven-year-old son Imran, 7, and two-year-old daughter Sanjida, 2.
According to the case, Saju and the convicts had been involved in robbery in Keraniganj, Munshiganj and Dohar areas.
In his observation, the judge labelled the convicts as cold-blooded murderers. They killed the four persons one by one in a pre-planned manner. “If they are not given exemplary punishment, the society as well as the state will not get rid of such incidents.
“During the trial, I have seen the accused in the dock. But I did not see any sign of remorse in their faces. Taking into account all the case materials and circumstances, I am of the view that the accused deserve an exemplary sentence. Justice will be met, in my view, if they are sentenced to death.”
As many as 24 out of 28 prosecution witnesses testified before the court since the trial began on June 18 this year.
Public prosecutor Khandaker Abdul Mannan Khan welcomed the verdict.
Moniruzzaman Khan, sub-inspector of South Keraniganj model police and also the investigation officer, submitted the charge sheet on January 16 this year. The court framed the charges on June 4.
The case says that a few days before the murders, Datu Suman’s motorcycle and his wife’s gold ornament were stolen. Saju was involved in the theft incident. Datu Suman enquired Saju about his missing motorcycle and the ornaments, but he denied. Later he learnt that Saju had extra-marital affair with his wife. Then he planned to kill Saju and his family members.
