5 get death, one life

District and Sessions Judge Md Abul Mansur handed down the death penalty to Syed Abdus Salam, Shah Kamal Rony, Kala Jahangir, Al Amin and Sabuj alias Hanif in a packed court. Of them, Rony and Hanif were tried in absentia.

The lifer, Sumon, was also fined Tk 50,000. If he fails to pay, he will have to suffer one more year's imprisonment.

The court also sentenced all the six convicts to 10 years' imprisonment each and fined them Tk 20,000 each for concealing the body after killing the boy, Jewel. If they fail to pay, they will have to suffer one more year's imprisonment.

According to the prosecution, the accused called Jewel, a student of class nine at Gonobidya Niketan, out of his house at Beparipara on the night of September 12 and took him to Salam's house at Baburail where they strangled him.

After the killing, the accused cut the body into several pieces and then dumped those in a nearby canal after wrapping the pieces in two plastic bags.

The police recovered the two bags on September 15 and 18.

Salam along with the others killed Jewel over a love affair with a girl as he considered Jewel as his rival.

Eighteen prosecution witnesses were examined during the trial.

PP Advocate Nabi Hossain appeared for the state while Advocate Mantu Ghose, Khokon Saha, Selina Yasmin and Kamruzzanman defended the accused.