6 to die, 7 get life over Cumilla double murder

A Cumilla court has handed down death penalty to six people while seven others to life in prison for a case filed over the murders of Md Gias Uddin and Md Jamal Hossain in Cumilla’s Sadar South Upazila.

Cumilla Additional District and Sessions Judge’s Court -4 Judge Jahangir Hossain delivered the verdict on Monday.

The death row convicts are-- Tofail Ahmed Tota, 38, Kamal Hossain, 48, Alamgir Hossain, 38, Md Mamun, 28, Md Babul, 35, and Harunur Rashid, 45.

Haidar Ali, 65, Abdul Mannan, 32, Jamal Hossain, 45, Abul Bashar, 28, Abdul Quader, 32, and Abdul Kuddus, 45, and Jakir Hossain get life in prison.

The court also fined the convicts Tk 50,000 each. The life-term convicts will remain behind bars for another year if they fail to pay the fine.

Meanwhile,two suspects have also been acquitted as the allegations against them were not proven.

According to the case statement, the convicts hacked Gias and Jamal to death with sharp weapons after storming a local shop owned by Khorshed Alam in the Dhonaitori Jamtola area over a prior dispute on Aug 12, 2016.

Mehedi Hasan, the son of victim Gias Uddin, started a lawsuit against 12 people, including Tota and 10-12 unnamed suspects at Cumilla Sadar South Model Police Station over the murders.

The investigating officer of the case pressed charges against 12 named suspects, including Tota, and three unnamed suspects afterwards.