A court in Dhaka has awarded the death penalty to 15 people for the murder of a businessman at Dhaka’s Dohar eleven years ago.

In April 2008, Nazrul Islam was killed in an attack, which stemmed from a conflict over land.
On Wednesday (Mar 20), the court of Dhaka’s First Additional District and Sessions Judge Pradip Kumar Roy found 17 people guilty of the murder.

The two other convicts have been sentenced to life.

The eight handed death sentences are— Siraj alias Seru, Minhaz alias Minu, Khalil, Shahjahan, Didar, Ershad, Kalu alias Kuti, Azahar, Miaz Uddin, Mozammel alias Shuja, A Jalil, Jalal, Billal, Ibrahim and A Latif.

Three among them – Didar, Ershad A Jalil and Ibrahim, has been tried in absentia while the rest were on the docks during sentencing.

Life sentences were awarded to Chayna Begum and Mozidon alias Mazeda, both fugitives.

The court also slapped a fine of Tk 20 thousands to all ten convicts, failure to pay which will cause an additional one year in jail.

According to case dossiers, On Apr 3, 2008, the accused severely beat up Nazrul with iron sticks, hammers and sticks. Nazrul was initially taken to Jaypara Hospital and later shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.

Nazrul uncle Dr Nazim Uddin Ahmed filed a case with the Dohar police against 15 people later that day.

On July 2008, Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Detective Branch SI Anwarul Karim, the investigative officer in the case, filed the charge sheet bringing charges against the 15 accused and three others- Ibrahim, Latif and Chayna.  

One of the accused, Faimuddin, died during the trial and on May 25 the following year court ordered to frame charges against the accused and move to trial.

The trial court heard testimonies of 14 people during the trial period before passing its verdict on Wednesday.