Death sentence for lover over killing girlfriend by strangulation after 6 years

A court has sentenced Shariful Islam to death for killing his girlfriend Shahina Khatun by strangulation in the Jirabo area of Ashulia, Dhaka. The verdict was delivered nearly six years after the incident.

Judge Munir Hossain of the Eighth Additional District and Sessions Judge's Court in Dhaka pronounced the verdict on Sunday (August 2) in the presence of the accused. Along with the death sentence, Shariful Islam was fined Tk 20,000. In default of payment, he will have to serve an additional six months' simple imprisonment. The court issued the death warrant and sent him to jail. Court Bench Assistant Riazul Islam Sajib confirmed the matter.

According to the case documents, Shahina Khatun and Shariful Islam were working as operators at a garment factory in the Jirabo area of Ashulia. They developed a romantic relationship after meeting at work and later began living together in a rented house in the same area.

Investigation revealed that Shariful was already married and had two children. When Shahina started pressuring him for marriage, and Shariful expressed his desire to return to his first wife, conflicts arose between them.

According to the case, on March 19, 2020, an argument broke out between them over the dispute, during which Shariful strangled Shahina to death. After the murder, he wrapped the body in a plastic bag, locked it inside the room and fled. Three days later, locals alerted police after a foul smell emanated from the room. Police broke the door and recovered Shahina's body.

On March 22, 2020, the victim's brother Md Rahin filed a murder case at Ashulia Police Station. After investigation, Sub-Inspector Md Fazal Ali submitted a charge sheet against Shariful Islam on October 30, 2020.

On March 7, 2022, the court framed charges against the accused and began trial proceedings. During the trial, the court examined the testimonies of eight out of 12 witnesses and other evidence, found the charges proven beyond doubt, and sentenced Shariful Islam to death.