Five to die in Turja killing case

Dhaka, Jan 23 (bdprem.com) – A Dhaka court Wednesday sentenced five people to death for killing Turja Ghosh Roni, son of the owner of Purabi Jeweller's in Dhaka. Your Ad Here Judge Anwar Hossain of the speedy trial tribunal-1 for Dhaka pronounced the death sentence at about 12.30pm in the presence of the convicts. Md Harun-or-Rashid, a lawyer for one of the convicts, rejected the verdict alleging that the judge had been influenced by the plaintiff. The convicts are Shahadat Hossain Liton known as Khora Liton and his brother Al Mamun, sons of the late Abdul Quader of Doulatpur Upazila in Khulna, Md Abu Sayeed, son of the late Abdul Hakim of Rupatali area in Barisal city, Farhad Alam Hira, auditor of the Comptroller and Auditor General's Office and Shamsun Nahar Sheuli, daughter of Majnur Rahman of Bhatgati village of Batiaghata Upazila in Khulna. On Oct 29, 2006, the convicts took Turja away from his Uttara home and demanded Tk 1 crore in ransom from his family. They later killed Turja, cut the body into pieces and dumped them into a Rampura swamp. The judge also jailed them for seven years for abducting Turja, fined them Tk 15,000 each and ordered one more year in jail in case of failure to pay the fine. As all the convicts were sentenced to death, other punishments will not be executed. Md Harun-or-Rashid, lawyer for Farhad Alam Hira, rejected the verdict and said it would be challenged in the High Court. Turja's uncle Kanulal Ghosh and brother-in-law Joy Ghosh expressed happiness over the verdict. The judge had earlier deferred the verdict three times. Among the convicts, Abu Sayeed, Shamsunnahar Sheuli and Al Mamun gave statements in court confessing their involvement in the killing. The case was filed on Nov 7, 2006 with Uttara Police Station. The Rapid Action Battalion retrieved parts of the body on Dec 11. Abu Sayeed was the first to arrest and the other arrests followed after Sayeed's confessional statements recorded on Dec 20. Turja's family had earlier paid Tk 10 lakh and 10.5 bhoris of gold, but the abductors did not contact them later.