5 Rab members get 10 years’ jail for mugging businessman

A Dhaka court today sentenced five members of Rapid Action Battalion to 10-years rigorous imprisonment in a case filed against them for mugging Tk 18 lakh from a businessman.

The convicts are: former sub-inspector Mosaddek Hossain Khan, Lance Corporal Md Monirul Islam alias Ripon, and sepoys Liton Howlader, Md Sajjad Hossain and Lutfor Rahman.

Of them, Mosaddek and Liton are now jail while the rest went into hiding after getting bail from different courts.

Judge Md Shahidul Islam of the Special Judge Court-7 of Dhaka handed down the sentence in presence of two accused in the case.

The judge also fined them Tk one lakh, in default of which they will suffer one year more in jail.

The punishment of the fugitives will be effective from the day of their arrest or surrender, the judge added.

The court also acquitted two other Rab members -- Alam Khan and Samuel Baidhya -- from the case as the charges were not proved against them.

Earlier, the prosecution and the defence completed their arguments and the court recorded statements of 16 prosecution witnesses.

According to the prosecution, it was alleged that a team of Rab-1 raided a microbus at Lotus Kamal Building and mugged Tk 18 lakh when manager Md Moin Uddin of JK Sales & Distribution Company Ltd was going to deposit the money at Southeast Bank Ltd in Banani branch from Khilkhet on February 14, 2011.

Later, a case was filed against seven Rab members with Khilkhet Police Station.

After an investigation, police pressed charges against the seven on May 30 the same year.

The court framed charges against the seven on August 29 the same year.