Seven-murder case verdict on Jan 16

A Narayanganj court yesterday fixed January 16 next year for delivering its verdict on the 2014 sensational seven murders.

The date was set after the completion of the defence arguments in favour of 23 arrested accused and 12 fugitives at the court of District and Session Judge Syed Enayet Hossain.

The victims’ families and the state counsels expressed the hope for the highest punishment of all 35 including the main accused Nur Hossain in the two cases filed over the incident.

Public Prosecutor Wajed Ali Khokon said the prosecution had submitted proofs of the planning, abduction and killing of the victims and dumping their bodies in the Shitalakkhya river.

They appealed for the capital punishment of all the accused.

Seven people, including Narayanganj City Corporation panel mayor Nazrul Islam and senior lawyer Chandan Sarker, were abducted from the Dhaka-Narayanganj link road on April 27, 2014.

Later, their bodies were found floating in the Shitalakkhya.

“Many of the accused are wealthy. So, we have requested [the court] to confiscate their properties through a legal process and give those to the families of the victims,” said PP Wajed Ali.

Another prosecution lawyer Sakhawat Hossain Khan said not only the residents of Narayanganj, people of the country expected a proper trial of the murder cases.

The involvement of the accused had been proved through depositions and evidence, he said, adding that people have faith in court and so they expect the highest punishment of the accused.

Selina Islam Beauty, wife of slain Nazrul Islam, who filed one of the two cases, said, “They [the accused] have been issuing threats since the incident. We want that the court metes out the highest punishment, death sentence to the accused”.

Murdered driver Jahangir’s wife Nupur Begum said, “I have become a widow.  My children have lost their father. I demand the highest punishment.”

Slain Tajul Islam’s father Abul Khair said, “We are victims. The whole nation knows what we expect.”

Chandan Sarker’s son-in-law Bijoy Kumar Paul, who filed the other case, could not be reached on phone yesterday.

While giving his depositions, he earlier said, “We expect exemplary punishment to those involved in the murders”.

The then Narayanganj city corporation panel mayor Nazrul’s father-in-law Shahidul Islam alleged that Rab personnel — Lt Colonel Tareque Sayeed Mohammad, Maj Arif Hossain and Lt Commander SM Masud Rana — abducted and killed Nazrul in exchange for Tk 6 crore from local ward councillor Nur Hossain.

The Rab officials were sacked in May last year.

Source: The Daily Star