Court sentences five to death for 2010 murder of college student in Rajshahi

A Rajshahi court has sentenced five to death for the murder of college student Raju Ahmed in the city’s New Market area in 2010.

Division Speedy Trial Tribunal Judge Anup Kumar acquitted another nine suspects in his verdict on Tuesday.

The convicts who received the death penalty are Azizur Rahman Raju, Sazzad Hossain Saju, Md Rinku alias Boya, Ismail Hossain and Mahabur Rashid Rentu. The court fined them Tk 10,000 each as well.

Another suspect in the case died while the trial was ongoing. The remaining 14 were all in court to hear the verdict.

According to the case file, Raju’s father Esar Uddin, a resident of Hasnipur village in Rajshahi’s Bagmara Upazila, owned a jewellery store in Madariganj market. He was involved in a land dispute with Rentu.

Rentu demanded Tk 50,000 from the store in 2010. After he was refused, a group of people, led by Rentu, vandalised the store.

Raju filed a case over the incident. Facing threats from the suspects named in the case, Raju fled home and moved to a dormitory in Rajshahi city to live with a friend. 

On Mar 15, 2010, Rentu and his accomplices attacked and killed Raju with knives. He was an HSC candidate at Rajshahi’s Daokandi Degree College at the time.

Esar Uddin then filed a case, accusing the 15 suspects of his son’s murder.

The verdict in the case was finally handed down on Tuesday.