Khulna: A Khulna court has sentenced four individuals to seven years of rigorous imprisonment in connection with the kidnapping of a businessman. Judge Manjurul Imam of the Khulna Divisional Speedy Trial Tribunal announced the verdict.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the convicted individuals are Saiful Islam Molla, Hojifa Al Bari, Md Rana Beg, and Raju Sheikh. Each convict has also been fined Tk 10,000, with an additional three months of imprisonment should they fail to pay the fine. Court bench assistant Md Mazaharul Islam confirmed that the court assigned the same punishment under another section of the case, with the sentences set to run concurrently.
Court sources revealed that the victim, Md Niru Molla, who owns Molla Filling Station in Gopalganj Sadar’s Bijoypasha area, was kidnapped on February 8, 2022. He had left his home for Khulna with his driver, Raju Sheikh, to purchase fuel oil. Around 7:45 am, their vehicle was intercepted in Khulna’s Mayur Residential Area by a group of eight to nine individuals on motorcycles.
The kidnappers allegedly forced Molla out of the vehicle, assaulted him, and took him to an undisclosed location. During his captivity, they demanded Tk 5 crore as ransom, threatening to kill him and hide his body if the money was not paid. In fear, Molla agreed to pay Tk 50 lakh.
The victim’s family contacted RAB, and later that day, around 4:30 pm, Molla was rescued from a microbus in front of a house in Al-Aqsa Nagar village. Following the rescue, Molla filed a case against six people, and the investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Milon Kumar Maitra, submitted the charge sheet on August 31, 2022. The court’s verdict follows the completion of the trial against the four convicts.