Dhaka court awards death penalty to five for 2015 murder of former tax official

A Dhaka court has convicted nine persons over a robbery, when a former tax commissioner was murdered.

On Wednesday, the Speedy Trial Tribunal-4 delivered the verdict in 2015 incident at the capital's Rampura.

The court has awarded the death penalty to five convicts while four others received some years in prison.

On the night of Mar 2, 2015, robbers broke into the house of former tax commissioner Abu Taher and held him at gunpoint.

The robbers slashed his veins before making off with cash and jewelleries.

Taher was taken to a hospital in the morning where he was pronounced dead.

Convicts Nasir Khan and Rasel Talukder were arrested a week after the murder.

The death row convicts are Md Nasir Khan, Amir Hossain, Rasel Talukder, Md Sohel Rana and fugitive Md Rustam.

Apart from them two others -- 'Masud' and Nur Alam-- received ten years in prison and fined by Tk 10,000 or else will have to spend another year in jail.

Two women-- Mosammat Selina and Mosammat Nurjahan -- have been sentenced to two years in jail and fined by Tk 1,000 or else will have to spend another month in jail.

Selina and Nurjahan worked as house help and abetted the robbery. Death row convict Nasir Khan had worked as Taher's chauffeur, but was sacked.