The convict in the 2012 killing of a Saudi embassy official in Dhaka has been executed, five months after the top court upheld his death sentence rejecting a review plea.
“Saiful Islam Mamun was hanged at 10.01pm on Sunday (Mar 3) at high security Kashimpur Central Jail in GazipurSuperintendent Shahjahan Ahmed.
Doctors subsequently declared him dead and the body was handed over to the family received, added the prison official.
In October last year, the Appellate Division cleared ways for Saiful’s execution for murdering Saudi embassy official Khalaf Al Ali in 2012, rejecting his plea for reviewing the apex court’s own previous judgment.
Forty-five-year-old Khalaf was shot dead near his residence in the city’s Gulshan on Mar 5, 2012.
On Mar 7 that year, a murder case was filed with Gulshan police.
Investigations found it to be a case of mugging when miscreants demanded money from the Saudi national but Saiful shot him dead as he resisted.
Four months later, police arrested four suspects, including Saiful, who were introduced as ‘muggers’ in the court.
On Sep 20, police charged against five people including a fugitive.
A Dhaka court in December the same year awarded capital punishment to five people for the murder.
However, the trial court’s decision was overturned when the verdict was referred to the High Court for mandatory review of capital punishments.
In 2013, the HC acquitted fugitive Selim Chowdhury, commuted three others -- Md Al Amin, Akbar Ali Lalu and Rafiqul Islam to life in prison and upheld the death penalty for Saiful.
The state appealed the decision in 2014.
On Nov 1, 2017, the HC scrapped the appeals from the state and the defence.
Following the decision, the Appellate Division upheld the HC’s sentencing one person to death and three to life in prison.
Later, Saiful filed the petition seeking a review of the verdict, which the Appellate Division rejected.