Habiganj court rejects bail petition of five accused

A Habiganj court yesterday rejected bail petition of five accused in the case for killing four kids.

The accused are Abdul Ali, Rubel Mia, Jewel Mia, Arju Mia and Shahed Mia. They are all residents of Sundrateki village under Bahubal upazila of the district, said lawyer Tilock Kanti Chowdhury.

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Advocate Abul Hasem Mollah, special public prosecutor, said Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal in Habiganj rejected the bail petition of the five accused and fixed June 28 for the next hearing.

Muktadir Hossain, inspector of the Detective Branch of police in Habiganj, placed the charge sheet against nine accused on April 6. Two of them are on bail and two are absconding.

According to the case statement, Abdul Ali had a longstanding dispute with Panchayet leader Khaleque Master over establishing supremacy in the locality. Abdul Aziz, father of Tajel Miah, was known as a close aide to Khaleque.

Bachchu, a CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver, was also a supporter of Khaleque. However, he was expelled from the Panchayet following a dispute with Khaleque.

Later, Abdul Ali along with Bachchu made a plan to teach Khaleque a lesson and targeted Abdul Aziz first. They decided to kill Aziz or his son to take revenge on the Panchayet leader, the statement said.

Rubel and Bachchu planned to abduct Aziz's son Tajel from a football match scheduled for February 12. However, the match was abandoned due to rain.

Bachchu later tactfully took Tajel and his cousins Monir Mia, Ismail and Shuvo, on his auto-rickshaw that evening from near the playground. Later, Rubel, Arju and other accused joined him and drugged the children to make them unconscious.

They then strangled the children inside the three-wheeler and kept their bodies at Bachchu's garage. Later, they buried the bodies.