2 get death, 3 others life

They were convicted for kidnapping and killing Roni, 14, a student of class eight of a school at Demra in the city.

After cross-examination of 14 prosecution witnesses, Judge Mohammad Shamsul Alam Khan of the First Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court handed down the sentence.

The court acquitted Shafiqul Islam and Sohel as the charges brought against them were not proved.

The convicts with death are Mohammad Tutul and Fazlur Rahman alias Badal while Gulzar Hossain, Ahmed Ali alias Tiger and Kabir Ahmed alias Tufan were given life in jail.

Of them, Tiger was tried in absentia and his punishment will be effective from the day of his arrest or surrender, the court said.

A gang of miscreants led by Tutul and Badal kidnapped Roni and two of his friends from in front of a garage at Kajla Bridge when they were going to Jatrabari by a rickshaw at about 7:30pm on June 2, 1998.

But Rustam Ali and Badsha managed to escape despite the gang took Roni to a place near Lalmatia Project in the city's Demra area and later killed him. The gang killed the victim following a previous enmity, sources said.

Assistant Public Prosecutor Sahidul Islam Sarder appeared for the state while advocates Borhan Uddin, Mohammad Shajahan and Shahabuddin defended the accused.