The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Five people, including a woman were handed down death sentences by a court in Dhaka yesterday for murdering gold ornaments trader Turjo Ghosh.

Besides, a young man was sentenced to death for murdering his wife for dowry in 2004 in Dinajpur yesterday.

Anwar Hossain, judge of Speedy Trial Tribunal-I of Dhaka Division, handed down the death penalty on Shahadat Hossain Liton alias Khora Liton, Mamun alias Al Mamun, Abu Sayeed alias Sayeed, Farhad Alam Hira and Shamsunnahar Sheuli--all aged about 30.

The court also ordered that the death sentences would be enforced by hanging the convicts.

The same court also awarded seven years of rigorous imprisonment to the convicts and fined Tk 15,000 each for kidnapping Turjo, son of Jagannath Chandra Ghosh, who is the proprietor of Purabi Jewellers. In default, they will have to suffer one year of more rigorous imprisonment.

However, if the High Court division approves the capital punishment, other sentence will not be implemented.

In his verdict, judge Anwar Hossain said that the convicts, in connivance with each other, kidnapped Turjo Ghosh on October 29, 2006 from their Uttara residence and brutally murdered him on the following day in spite of realising a ransom of Tk 10 lakh and ten bhories of gold from his mother for the release of her son.

The judge said convict Sheuli called Turjo by telephone to a house at WAPDA Road at Rampura in the afternoon on October 29, 2006. The other accused present in the house gave him food laced with seductive. Later, he was strangulated.

In order to conceal the body of Turjo, the killers cut it into pieces and then dumped into a place at Noora Paglar Golli and Wapda Beribandh Jheel.

On December 7, 2006 Jagannath Ghose filed a kidnapping case with the Uttara Police Station.

After 40 days of abduction, police and RAB arrested five suspected killers of Turjo Ghosh. After an intensive investigation. They located the killers by taping their telephone conversations. In custody they confessed the killing of Turjo.

According to their confessional statement, police and RAB members recovered the severed decomposed body of Turjo from a ditch at Rampura.

The investigation officer Nazrul Islam submitted chargesheet on March 3 last year. During the trial, the court recorded the depositions of 35 witnesses and examined other evidences including the case docket to prove the case. In the case, the charges were framed on November 6, 2007. After the arguments of the lawyers of the plaintiff and the accused, the court announced the verdict yesterday.

While pronouncing the judgement, judge Anwar Hossain remarked that such people deserved punishment in the interest of social peace, tranquility and discipline.

He also mentioned in the judgement that the convicts had destroyed the joy, happiness and smooth daily life of a family. Who knows when they will be able to return to normal life.

After the pronouncement of judgement, Turjo's brother-in-law Joy Ghosh told reporters that they had received fair judgement. "We're satisfied with the verdict of the court. We're respectful to the law and the court. Now, it is time to implement the verdict. We'll get peace if the convicts are hanged to death. Besides, Turjo's soul will get peace," he said.

However, defence lawyer Advocate Harunur Rashid was found unhappy with the verdict.

He said his client convict Farhad Hossain Hira did not make any confessiuonal statement about his involvement in the murder and he would appeal to the apex court against the order of the death sentence.

The lawyer further said that the alleged murder was not committed in front of any eyewitness.

He said he would appeal for another judgement from the supoerior court canceling the one given by the lower court.

Senior advocate MA Rashid was the special public prosecutor to conduct the case on behalf of the prosecution.

He was found very happy with the verdict.

Another report from Dinajpur said: A young man was yesterday sentenced to death for murder of his wife for dowry in 2004.

Judge Badsha Alamgir handed down the death penalty to Nizamuddin. Hailing from Dulla-mulla village of Chirir Bandar upazila Nizam is an imam of mosque.

He married Jamila Khatun. Since the marriage he resorted to

repression on her demanding dowry of Tk 10,000 from her parents. They failed meet his demand.

On the night of June 23, 2004 brutal Nizam strangulated the young

wife aged about 20 to death and the body was thrown into a pond.

The court pronounced the verdict after examining documents and ten prosecution witnesses.