Death sentences revised

The High Court has revised a lower court verdict sentencing five persons to death for murdering Turjo Ghosh Rony, son of Purabi Jewellers owner Jagannath Ghosh.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 24 Nov 2013, 12:20 PM
Updated : 24 Nov 2013, 12:25 PM

After a hearing the death reference and defence pleas, the bench of Justice Abdul Hye and Justice Krishna Debnath on Sunday acquitted one of the convicts of all the charges.

Turjo’s family said they would appeal against the High Court verdict.

Death sentences for Shahadat Hossain Liton and his brother Al Mamun were revised to life sentence. Abu Said and Shamsun Nahar Sheuli have been given seven-year prison terms.
Another convict, Farhad Alam Hira, has been cleared of charges.
The High Court said both Said and Sheuli would be released since both had already spent seven years each behind bars.
Turjo’s mother Suchitra Rani Ghosh said she was not satisfied with the verdict. “There has been a farce in the name of a verdict. This verdict cannot be accepted.”
She said the convicts had admitted to their involvement with her son’s murder. “The court did not sentence anyone to death,” Suchitra Rani said.
Her husband Jagannath Ghosh was seen crying after the High Court verdict.



According to the case details, the convicts had confined Turjo at Sheuli’s rented Rampura apartment on Oct 29, 2006. He was later killed after the victim’s family gave Tk 10 million as ransom.

The kidnappers had continued to press Turjo’s family for the ransom even after killing him. Turjo’s family later gave Tk 1 million and 10 bhoris of gold ornaments.

Turjo’s father filed a case over his son’s kidnap with Uttara police on Nov 7 the same year.

Rapid Action Battalion-11 later found Turjo’s decomposed body in December. The case was transformed into a murder case.

On Dec 20 that year, accused Abu Said was arrested. He gave a confessional statement in court in which names and association of other accused were revealed.

Police pressed charges against the five on Mar 3, 2007. Dhaka’s Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 handed down death sentences to the accused on Jan 23, 2008.

The verdict was forwarded to the High Court for approval. The convicts had also appealed against their death penalties.