Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Monday acquitted 8 accused out of 12 who got death sentence by a trial court in a murder case of Noakhali.
The court upheld the death penalty for the three accused and commuted one’s sentence to 10 years imprisonment.
The High Court bench of Justice Krishna Debnath and Justice K M Zahid Sarwar delivered the verdict after hearing the appeal petitions filed by the accused and death references. The court upheld the death penalty of Kamrul Hasan Prokash, Rashed (driver) and Kamal Hossain Prokash. Abdur Sabur was given 10 years imprisonment.
The acquitted persons are— Mofazzal Hossain, Tofazzal Hossain, Samsuddin, Shahab Uddin, Zafar Hossain, Ali Akbar, Nasir Uddin and Abu Yousuf.
Advocates Helal Uddin Mollah, Azhar Ullah Bhuiyan, AM Mahbub Uddin Khokan and Mohaddesul Islam Tutul appeared for the accused in the hearing.
Azhar Ullah Bhuiyan said the court has expressed its anger during the deliberation of the verdict saying that the trial court has delivered this verdict whimsically without considering the evidence properly, which should not be happened.”
Meanwhile, the three accused whose sentences are upheld by the High Court are absconding. The High Court has ordered them to surrender immediately otherwise arrest warrant will be issued against them.
Firoj Kabir Miron, proprietor of ‘Mobile Fair’, and his assistant Suman Paul were on the way to their residences in Noakhali town with Tk 13 lakh in cash and some mobile sets after closing their business entity at the night on February 1 in 2007.
Some miscreants picked up the duo in a microbus in the Napiter pool area. Later, they snatched the money and other belongings, hacked them to death and left their bodies on the road side.
Later Miron’s father AB Siddique Babul filed a case accusing 22 people with the Sudharam Model Police Station on the following day. A Noakhali court on March 23 in 2016 announced death sentence for 12 accused and acquitted 10 others after completing the trial of the case.
Seven of the death row convicts filed appeal against the lower court verdict and as per rule death references were also sent to the High Court for approval. After hearing the appeal petitions and death references the High Court on Monday delivered the verdict.
