Five Sentenced to Death for Kidnapping and Murder of Child in Bogura

A court in Bogura on Sunday sentenced five people to death for abducting and murdering an eight-year-old boy, Rifat Hossain, for ransom in Shahjahanpur upazila. Another five convicts, who were minors at the time of the offence, were sentenced to 10 years of detention under the Children Act, 2013.

The verdict was delivered by Judge Md Anwarul Haque of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-1 and Children’s Court-1 in Bogura.

The death-row convicts are Md Abul Kalam Azad, Md Selim Islam, Md Mehedi Hasan, Md Raju Mia alias Panchful and Md Sagar. Of them, Selim Islam and Sagar remain absconding, while the other three were present in court during the pronouncement of the verdict.

In addition to the death penalty, the court fined each of the convicts Tk 200,000. They were also handed life imprisonment and additional fines on charges related to abduction and destruction of evidence.

The five individuals sentenced under the Children Act are Md Sazib Hasan, Md Mofizul Islam alias Bacchu Mia, Md Jahid Hasan, Md Borhan Ali and Md Bayezid Hossain. Although they were minors when the crime was committed, all are now over 26 years of age. The court ordered that they be sent to Bogura District Jail to serve their sentences.

According to the prosecution, the incident occurred on July 15, 2018, when Rifat Hossain, son of expatriate Enamul Haque of Khadas Hatkhola area in Shahjahanpur, was abducted by the accused. Investigators said the kidnapping was masterminded by neighbour Abul Kalam Azad after Enamul Haque refused his request for a loan of Tk 100,000. The abductors later demanded ransom from the family.

Three days after the abduction, on July 18, police recovered Rifat’s partially decomposed body from beneath the Poalgacha Bridge in Shahjahanpur.

Following the incident, the victim’s father filed a case with Shahjahanpur Police Station, naming 11 accused. After completing the investigation, police submitted a charge sheet against all 11.

During the trial, one of the accused, Masud Rana, died and was subsequently dropped from the proceedings. Of the remaining 10 accused, nine gave confessional statements before the court. The verdict brought an emotional end to a legal battle that lasted nearly eight years. Family members of the victim broke down in tears after the judgment was announced.

Expressing satisfaction with the verdict, Enamul Haque said, “Alhamdulillah, I am satisfied with the judgment. I hope the High Court upholds the verdict and that it is executed swiftly. Let this serve as a precedent so that no other family has to suffer such a tragedy.”

Public Prosecutor Md Ali Asgar of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-1 said the prosecution had successfully proved the charges beyond reasonable doubt.

“The verdict is a significant step toward ensuring justice and sends a strong message against such heinous crimes,” he added.