5 to die for child murder in Bogura

A court in Bogura on Sunday sentenced five people to death and five others to 10 years' imprisonment in the murder case of eight-year-old Rifat Hossain, who was killed at Shajahanpur upazila of Bogura district in 2018.

The verdict was delivered by Judge Anwarul Haque of the Bogura Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-1.

The death-row convicts are Abul Kalam Azad, Sagar, Selim Islam, Mehedi Hasan and Raju Islam Paanchful. Among them, Sagar and Selim remain absconding. The court also sentenced five others, who were minors at the time of the crime, to 10 years in prison each.

According to the case statement, Rifat, son of Enamul Haque of Khadas Hatkhola area at Shajahanpur, went missing on July 15, 2018. His body was recovered three days later from beneath a bridge in a neighbouring village.

Investigators found that the accused, who were neighbours and known to the victim's family, had been involved in the murder following a dispute linked to a financial demand made to Rifat's father, a migrant worker who had recently returned home.

A case was filed with Shajahanpur Police Station after the body was recovered. 11 people were originally charged, but one accused died during the trial and was later exempted from the proceedings.
 
Public Prosecutor Ali Asgar said the court delivered the judgment based on witness testimonies and evidence, adding that the verdict had ensured justice in the case.

TZ