A court in Jamalpur on Monday sentenced a man to death for murdering his wife over dowry, while three others were sentenced to life imprisonment in a separate abduction and rape case.
The court also fined the convicts, Md Hafizul, alias Afzal, Tk 5 lakh while three others fined Tk 1 lakh for each person.
Judge Abdur Rahim of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-1 delivered the verdicts in the presence of the accused.
Man to die for killing teenage girl after rape in Magura
The death-row convict is Md Hafizul, alias Afzal, 37, son of the late Prodhan of Merurchar village in Bokshiganj upazila.
The three convicts sentenced to life imprisonment are Shamim, 33, son of Sadeq Ali of Bharuakhali Sheikhbari in Jamalpur Sadar upazila, Shipon, 25, son of Khos Mahmud of neighbouring Haripur village, and Jalal Mia, 35, son of Mahir Uddin of Bishnupur village.
Public Prosecutor of the tribunal Advocate Fazlul Haque said Amena Begum married her second daughter, Hanufa Begum, to Hafizul. After the marriage, Hafizul allegedly subjected Hanufa to physical and mental torture, repeatedly demanding dowry. To ensure her daughter's well-being, Amena paid him large sums of money on several occasions. However, Hafizul later demanded an additional Tk 1 lakh and intensified the abuse.
On the morning of September 4, 2012, after failing to obtain the demanded dowry, Hafizul strangled Hanufa to death, the prosecutor said.
Following the incident, Amena filed a murder case with Bakshiganj Police Station. After examining testimonies from seven prosecution witnesses, the tribunal found Hafizul guilty and sentenced him to death along with a Tk 5 lakh fine.
In the separate case, the tribunal sentenced three men to life imprisonment over the abduction and rape of an SSC examinee.
According to the prosecution, on the morning of December 22, 2024, the minor victim, daughter of Kabir Hossain of Haripur village in Bharuakhali under Jamalpur Sadar upazila, left home for private tuition. A group of three to four men led by Shamim, who had been waiting in a private car near her house, allegedly abducted her and raped her at different locations.
The victim's father filed an abduction and rape case with Jamalpur Sadar Police Station on January 2, 2025.
After recording statements from eight prosecution witnesses, the tribunal sentenced Shamim, Shipon and Jalal Mia to life imprisonment and fined them.