High Court upholds death penalty of 8 convicts in Sima murder case
The bandits strangled Smrity Debnath Sima, then a Class-VII student of Pratabganj High School, after violating her
The High Court today upheld capital punishment of eight people in a case filed over murder of school girl Smrity Debnath Sima in Lakshmipur.
The bench of Justice Bhabani Prasad Singha and Justice Md Kamrul Hossain Mollah also commuted death penalty of two accused to life imprisonment.
On September 16, 2014, Judge Manjurul Basid of the District and Sessions Judge Court sentenced 10 people to death for killing Sima during a robbery in Lakshmipur Sadar upazila in 2012.
The death row convicts are - Manik Hossain, Saddam Hossain (absconding), Hiron, Rashedul Islam (absconding), Sumon (absconding), Nur Alam, Nur Nabi, and Hedayetullah.
The life timers are Sohel and Anwar Hossain.
The court also fined all of the accused with Tk1 lakh each.
According to the prosecution, a gang of robbers, numbering 25-30, swooped on the house of Manik Lakkhan at Basudouhita village in Sadar Upazila on July 18, 2012. They looted valuables worth Tk5 lakh after keeping the members of the house hostage at gunpoint.
The bandits also strangled Manik's daughter Smrity Debnath Sima, then a Class-VII student of Pratabganj High School, after violating her.
Victim's grandfather Krishna Das filed a case on the following day in this regard.
Police submitted charge-sheet against 24 accused on March 25, 2013.
