Court sentences four to death for 2008 Boalkhali murder

A Chittagong court has sentenced four men to death and two others to life in prison for the 2008 murder of an auto-rickshaw driver in Boalkhali Upazila.

Chittagong Divisional Public Security Tribunal’s judge Syeda Hosne Ara delivered the verdict on Monday on the seven-year-old case.

Those given the death penalty were Nurul Alam, Abul Kalam, Md Kausar and Md Rubel. The two who were awarded life imprisonment were Ariful Islam and SM Noimuddin.

Only Kausar and Noimuddin are behind bars. The four others are still absconding.

According to case details, on May 3, 2008, the accused hired the auto-rickshaw from the port city’s Bahaddarhat to go to Anwara.

They murdered the driver ‘Yusuf’ and made off with the three-wheeler. Yusuf's body was dumped on a road in West Gomdondi area at Boalkhali.

The vehicle’s owner later found it in Satkania, where police later arrested five of the accused.

Yusuf’s cousin ‘Hashem’ filed the murder case at Boalkhali Police Station.

Police named the six convicted on Monday in their chargesheet in the case.

Public Prosecutor Md Jahangir Alam said 17 out of 27 witnesses in the case had deposed at court.