2 get life term, 1 jailed for 14 years for 2008 child kidnap, murder

A Dhaka tribunal has sentenced two individuals to life imprisonment for the kidnapping and murder of a child, Md Shafiqul Islam, also known as Milon, in the capital's Kafrul area 18 years ago.

The convicts, Al Amin Ghorami and Masud Rana, were handed life terms, while another accused, Saiful Islam, also known as Chhoto Saiful, received 14 years' imprisonment.

Judge Munshi Md Mashiur Rahman of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-4 delivered the verdict this morning (19 April), confirmed State prosecutor Md Ershad Alam.

In addition to the prison terms, each convict was fined Tk1 lakh, with an additional one year of imprisonment in default of payment.

Convict Masud Rana was present in court when the verdict was read and was sent back to jail with a conviction warrant. The other two convicts remain absconding; prompting the court to issue arrest warrants against them.

The tribunal acquitted two other accused, Md Abdul Motaleb, also known as Mota and Amirul Islam, also known as Rubel, as the charges against them were not proven.

The court further directed the district magistrate to recover the fines by auctioning the convicts' movable and immovable properties and to hand over the proceeds to the victim's family.

According to the case documents, the victim, Milon, went missing from North Senpara in the Kafrul police station area on 6 March 2008. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of Tk2 lakh but later strangled the child to death before dumping the body in the Turag River in Savar.

Following the incident, the victim's father, Shahidul Islam, filed a case with Kafrul Police Station. Police later submitted the charge sheet, and the court framed charges against the accused before commencing trial. During the proceedings, testimonies from nine witnesses were recorded.