A Dhaka court yesterday awarded four people life term imprisonment and seven others 10 years in jail in the 2006 Narsingdi four-murder case.
Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal 3 Judge Sayeed Ahmed delivered the verdict and also fined them Tk20,000 each, in default, to suffer one year more rigorous imprisonment.
The four lifers are Al Amin, Shahin Mia, Kala Mia alias Kala Chan and Alek alias Alek Chora of Raipura upazila’s Musapur village in Narsingdi. Of them, Al Amin, Shahin and Kala Mia were tried in absentia.
The other convicts are Mobarak, Jamal alias Lengra Jamal, Anwar Hossain Anar, Mistu Mia alias Mobarak Ali – a freedom fighter, Zillu Mia, Tarek Mia and Jamal Mia. Of them, Mobarak was tried in absentia.
A total of 12 people were accused in the case. The trial of a juvenile accused in the case is going on in the district court.
The judge in his observation said there was negligence in the investigation of the case and for this reason the convicts could not be sentenced to death although they deserve death penalty for the offence.
The tribunal also said the investigators could have collected information to prove the case but they did not show interest after getting confessional statements from two of the accused, which is insufficient to give proper punishment to the accused.
During the trial proceedings, 19 out of 61 witnesses gave depositions before the court against the convicts in the case.
According to the prosecution, Al Amin had an enmity with his neighbour Samsuddin Molla of the village over a piece of land.
On November 27, 2006, Al Amin along with his supporters went to the house of Shamsuddin and stabbed his two daughters Runa, 27, and Romana, 26, and his two grandchildren – Runa’s nine-month-old daughter Borno and Romana’s 21-day-old son Arnab.
The following day, Shamsuddin filed a case in this connection.
CID Inspector Sultan Mahmud submitted a charge sheet in the case against 12 people with the local court on June 4, 2011. Later, the case was shifted to Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal on June 19, 2014.
