Youth to die for killing couple in Mymensingh

A Mymensingh court yesterday sentenced a youth to death for killing a couple in the town in 2014.

The death penalty awardee is Golam Mustafa Mithu, 25, son of Abu Zafar of Chhoykhada village under Kotchandpur upazila of Jhenidah district and a fifth-year student of fashion design at Rumdo Institute of Modern Technology in the district town.

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The court also fined him Tk 20,000. In default, he is to suffer six months more in prison, court sources said.

The couple, Abdul Haque, 70, a retired postmaster, and his wife Rayhatunnessa, 65, retired headmistress of Akua Government Primary School, hailed from Dhamail village under Gafargoan upazila of Mymensingh district. They had been living in their three-storied building in the town. Their two sons stay in Dhaka.

According to the case statement, Mithu hacked the couple to death at their Akua Garurkhuar residence on the night of July 12, 2014. During interrogation, he confessed to killing the couple for money, said Abu Md Fazlul Karim, the then officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station.

Mithu got acquainted with the couple through his sister, who used to be a tenant there four years ago, police said. On several occasions, Mithu demanded Tk 50,000 in loan from the couple to pay his college fees and other expenses, police said.

On the night of July 12, Mithu went to the couple's house around 10:00pm and asked for the money again. When they refused, he hit Rayhatunnessa on her chest and neck with a machete, police said. When Abdul Haque came to her rescue from the adjacent room, Mithu attacked him with the machete.

Hearing screams, Neighbours rushed to the spot and caught Mithu when he was trying to run away. They found the bodies of the couple lying in a pool of blood on the first floor of the house. Police later recovered the bodies and seized the machete used in the killing.

The victims' son Hasibul Haque Rana lodged a case with Kotwali Police Station the following day.

After investigation, sub-inspector Shibirul Islam of Kotwali Police Station, pressed charges against Mithu on September 9, 2016.

After examining the witnesses and case record, Judge Dr Md Amir Uddin of Mymensingh District and Sessions Judge's Court handed down the verdict.