Husband, mother-in-law to die for killing Tania

Judge Mohammad Firoz Alam of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-3 handed down the sentence in absence of convict Shafiqul Islam while his mother Firoza Begum was present in the court during the delivery of the verdict.

The punishment of the fugitive will be effective from the day of his arrest or surrender and the convicts can appeal to the High Court against the verdict within 30 days from the day of receipt of the judgement copy, the judge said.

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The court acquitted Shafiq's brothers Asad Ullah, Wahid Ullah, sisters-in-law Masuda Begum and Fatema Begum, as the charges brought against them were not proved.

Earlier, the prosecution and the defence completed their arguments and the court recorded statements of 10 prosecution witnesses.

According to the prosecution, housewife Tania, 23, of Kanthaldia Beraid in Badda, was killed by her husband Shafiqul's family members on June 2, 2004, as she refused to bring Tk five lakh as dowry from her parents' house. But they buried the body at the Town View Project area to divert the incident.

Later, victim's family members filed a murder case with Badda Police Station against Shafiq and five others two days after the incident.

Shafiq has been absconding since the incident and his trial was completed in absentia.

Police arrested Firoza and recovered the body on the basis of her information on June 6. The investigation officer (IO) pressed charges against Shafiq and five others on April 30 last year.