Four to die for killing madrasa student

A Khulna court, on Wednesday, sentenced four people to death and slapped a fine of Tk25,000 on each of them for killing a madrasa student in Rupsha upazila in 2018.

Khulna District and Sessions Judge Moshiur Rahman Chowdhury pronounced the verdict in the presence of the convicts.

The court also sentenced them to 10 years rigorous imprisonment and fined them Tk10,000, each, under another section in the same case; in case of default to spend one year more in jail.

The convicts are: Boni Amin Sikder, 20; Rahim Sheikh, 21; Raju Sikder, 20; and Nuhu Sheikh, 35.

Additionally, two others accused, Jasim Sikder and Siraj Sikder, were acquitted as the charges brought against them were not proved.

According to the case statement, Musa Sikder, 16, son of Mostakin Sikder of Alaipur village in the upazila–also a student at a nearby madrasa–went to their grocery shop to sleep at night on September 19, 2018, and went missing that night.  

The next morning, police recovered Musa's body floating in the nearby Attarobaki River.

On September 27, Musa's father lodged an allegation in the court, accusing the four convicts.

Accepting the allegation, the court ordered the Rupsha police station officer in charge to record the case.

Later on January 15, 2019, a murder case was filed against the persons and later the case was handed over to detective branch (DB) of police in the district.

On May 30, 2019, DB police submitted the charge-sheet before the court against six people, including the four convicts.

The four confessed that the murder took place due to a conflict with Bani Amin Sikder over not paying for food at the grocery store.

After cross-examining 23 witnesses, the court today handed down the verdict.