Six others were sentenced to different terms of imprisonment.

Alam, 64, and his three maids -- Rahima, Sakhina and Kamala -- were murdered at his New Jurain residence in the city's Shyampur area on the night of January 2, 2002.

Judge Mohammad Rabiul Hassan of the Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court handed down the verdict in a packed courtroom under tight security.

The accused were produced before the court at 11:45am and the judge read out the highlights of the 117-page judgement in five minutes.

The convicts are Alam's two sons-in-law, Motiur Rahman alias Jamai Motin, 35, and Mohammad Ali Babul Hasan alias Babu Jamai, 30, as well as Mohammad Kabir, 30, Sohag Bepari, 31, Mohammad Sohel, 28, Yusuf Miah, 32, Jahanara Begum, 35, Dulal, 28, Farida, 30, Babul alias Babu, 28 and Al-Amin, 26.

Of them, Al-Amin and Dulal were tried in absentia and the seven others were present in the court during the delivery of the judgement.

Jamai Motin, Babu Jamai and Alam's chief maids Farida and Jahanara were given the death sentence for instigating and assisting the killers, while the seven others were convicted for killing Alam and his three maids.

Rabbat Ali and his wife Sheuli Akhter were awarded five years' rigorous imprisonment (RI) for harbouring the other accused.

Abdur Rahman, his wife Asma Rahman and Rehena Parvin were sentenced to three years' RI for sharing the booties while Alauddin has to suffer seven years' RI for theft.

The court acquitted another accused, Abdul Latif Khan, of charges.

The punishment of the fugitives will be effective from the day of their arrest or surrender, the court said.

The convicts sentenced to death can appeal to the High Court against the verdict within seven days from the day of receipt of the judgement copy, the judge said.

After the verdict, Jamai Motin broke down in tears and told journalists that the charges brought against him were false and baseless.

Alam's other son-in-law, Babu Jamai, remained calm while the rest broke down in tears.

Earlier, the prosecution and the defence completed their arguments in 51 dates and the court recorded statements of 57 prosecution witnesses.

Alam's three sonsJahir Alam Khokan, Nure Alam Babul and Babrul Alam Labu were present in the court during the verdict and expressed their satisfaction over the judgement.

Among the convicts, Kabir, Sohel, Sohag and Babul confessed to their complicity in the incident in a statement under Section 164 of the CrPC.

After the killings on January 2, 2002, Alam's son-in-law Jamai Motin filed a murder case with the Shyampur Police Station the following day.

Police arrested Alam's two sons, Jahir Alam Khokan and Nure Alam Babul, in connection with the killings.

But the probe into the killing took a new twist and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) submitted a final report on July 18, 2003, taking into serious consideration the fact that three maids were murdered to steal valuables from Alam's residence.

The CID also filed a burglary and murder case accusing Matin, Babu Jamai and 24 others the same day.

The arrestees on charge of the murder were also shown arrested in the burglary and murder case filed on July 20 the same year.

The CID pressed charges against the accused on August 9, 2003.

Then the case was transferred to the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 for its quick disposal but it was taken back to the previous court as 135 workdays ended.

Advocates Abdur Razzak and Sanaullah appeared for the state while advocates TM Akbar, Nazrul Islam and Mahbub Ahmed defended the accused.

Alam, who maintained two wives, had family conflicts and his enormous money tempted the killers, sources said.