Four to die for killing woman in Habiganj

A Habiganj court today sentenced four individuals to death for the murder of a woman and their subsequent attempt to frame their opponents for the crime.

Habiganj Additional Sessions Judge AKM Kamal Uddin delivered the verdict this afternoon, bringing to a close a case that spanned over a decade.

The condemned individuals are Al Amin, Shadar Ali, Taj Uddin, and Mohiuddin Ahmed alias Sufi Mia. All four were convicted in absentia, having absconded.

Habiganj Court Police Officer-in-Charge (OC) Nazmul Islam confirmed the verdict.

He said the case stemmed from the discovery of Josna Begum's body on December 10, 2014, found hanging at the residence of Mizanur Rahman, a former Nabiganj Municipality councillor and Jubo League leader. Initially, Josna's brother, Rajab Ali Fakir, filed a murder case implicating Mizanur Rahman and five others.

However, subsequent police investigations, including a three-point probe, revealed a complex conspiracy. Evidence indicated that the accused had murdered Josna Begum and strategically placed her body at Mizanur Rahman's home to implicate him and his associates, orchestrated by the UK expatriate, Sufi Mia. A counter-case was then filed, naming five of Mizanur's rivals.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) later filed a charge sheet against seven individuals, including Al Amin, Shadar Ali, Taj Uddin, and Sufi Mia, for their involvement in the conspiracy. Shadar Ali and Taj Uddin had previously provided confessional statements to the court, detailing their roles in the crime.

After hearing testimonies from 28 witnesses, the court found the four accused guilty under Section 302 of the Penal Code and Section 34 of the Act. The court ordered the death penalty for each of the convicted individuals, along with a fine of Tk 50,000.

Additional Sessions Judge Court Bench Assistant Tapan Singh said all four individuals were absconding at the time of the sentencing.