The convicts are Abul Hossain, Mohamamd Masud, Sohrawardi and Shahidullah alias Shahid. Of them, Abul Hossain is in custody while the rest are still at large.

Judge Mohamamd Altaf Hossain of the Sixth Additional District and Sessions Judge's Court handed down the sentence in presence of Abul Hossain at a packed courtroom.

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

Earlier, the prosecution and the defence had completed their arguments and recorded statements of 10 prosecution witnesses.

According to the prosecution, a gang of robbers attacked a trawler carrying the complainant, deceased and 13 other passengers at the Dhaleswari ferry ghat in Savar at about 9.30pm on November 14, 1998.

The gang beat them mercilessly and dropped Majibur Rahman and others in the river. The complainant and others escaped except Majibur. The next day, Majibur's body was recovered from the river, the prosecution added.

The investigation officer pressed charges against them on January 23, 1999, showing 13 people as prosecution witnesses.

Assistant Public Prosecutor Tajuddin Ahmed appeared for the state while advocates M Sajwar Hossain and Abdullah Abu defended the accused.