HC upholds death penalty for 5 convicts on Photojournalist Aftab murder case

The High Court (HC) on Wednesday upheld the death penalty for the five men and life imprisonment for another person convicted of killing acclaimed photojournalist Aftab Ahmed in 2013.

A division bench of justices Jahangir Hossain and Md Bashir Ullah passed the order after hearing their appeal petitions.

Advocates SM Shahjahan, Helal Uddin Molla and Shafiqul Islam stood for the petitioners, while deputy attorney general Samira Taranum Rabeya Miti represented the state.

On 28 March, 2017, Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-4 judge Abdur Rahman Sardar sentenced the five men to death and another to life imprisonment for the murder of Aftab.

The condemned convicts are Billal Hossain Kislu, Habib Hawladar, Raju Munshi, Russel and driver Humayun Kabir Molla. Of them, Raju Munshi and Russel were tried in absentia.

The lifer has been identified as Sabuj Khan. The court also imposed a fine of Tk10,000 on him.

On 25 December, 2013, Aftab of Daily Ittefaq, an Ekushey Padak recipient, was found dead at his West Rampura Wapda Road residence.

He was 69.

Driver Humayun, Habib and Billal subsequently made a confessional statement before the court that the convicts had strangled the victim to death while committing robbery in his house.

Billal looted Tk72,000 from his residence and shared the money with the others involved in the killing, according to police.

Aftab received the coveted Ekushey Padak in 2006.

- UNB