Dhaka: A court here today sentenced five individuals to death and four others, including three women, to life imprisonment for the kidnapping and murder of two siblings in Ramu upazila in 2016. Judge Md. Osman Gani of the Women and Child Repression Prevention Tribunal-2 issued the verdict, as confirmed by state lawyer Mir Mosharraf Hossain Titu.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the death row convicts are Jahangir Alam, Abdus Shukkur, Alamgir Hossain Prakash Bulu, Mizanur Rahman, and Md. Shahidullah, all residents of Barabil area in Gorjania union. Those sentenced to life imprisonment include Abdul Majid Badaiya, Fatema Khatun, Rasheda Begum, and Laila Begum, also from the same locality.
The prosecution revealed that on January 17, 2016, the convicts kidnapped Hasan alias Shakil, 11, and his brother Md. Hossain alias Kajal, 8, while they were playing near their home. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of four lakh Taka from the family via a mobile phone call that night. When the children were not found, their father filed a case with the Garjania Police Station on January 19, 2016.
Police quickly apprehended two suspects following the registration of the case. Based on their confessions, authorities recovered the bodies of the children. On April 7, 2016, a charge sheet was filed against the accused, with charges officially framed on March 20, 2019.
The court also imposed fines of varying amounts. The primary accused, Jahangir Alam, was present in court when the verdict was delivered, while the others remain at large. The court acquitted Mokarma Sultana Putu after she was proven innocent.