A court in Chattogram has sentenced Md Abir Ali to death for the abduction and murder of five-year-old Alina Islam Ayat and for dismembering her body into six pieces, reports Daily Sun.
The court also imposed a fine of Tk 100,000 on the convict.
The verdict was delivered on Wednesday (17 June) by Judge Muhammad Ali Akkas of the Sixth Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court in Chattogram. Abir was present in court when the judgment was announced.
Assistant Public Prosecutor Mohammad Raihanul Wazed Chowdhury said the court found the charges proven beyond reasonable doubt based on the accused's confessional statement, inquest report, autopsy report, recovered evidence, and witness testimonies. Along with the death sentence, the court ordered a Tk 100,000 fine, with an additional one year of rigorous imprisonment in default of payment.
According to the prosecution, the court observed that the crime was premeditated, brutal, inhumane, and capable of creating fear in society. The court also noted that the accused had been influenced by crime-related television content.
State prosecutor Jalal Uddin said that 33 witnesses testified in the case before the court delivered its verdict following the conclusion of arguments.
According to police and court records, Ayat, daughter of Sohel Rana from the Bandar Tila area under EPZ Police Station in Chattogram, went missing on 15 November 2022. A general diary was filed with the police, and later the family's request prompted the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to launch an investigation.
The investigation revealed that Abir, a tenant in the family's residence, was involved in the abduction and murder. After his arrest on 25 November, he confessed to the crime before a court.
PBI investigators said Ayat had been abducted for ransom. When the plan failed, she was killed, and her dismembered remains were later discarded near the seashore and a canal.
On 10 October 2023, then PBI Inspector Monoj De submitted the charge sheet against Abir and a 17-year-old accomplice. As the second accused was a minor at the time of the incident, his case is being tried separately in a juvenile court.
Bd-Pratidin English/ AM
