2 sentenced to life for killing trawler driver in Savar in 2005

A Dhaka court has sentenced two men to life imprisonment in a case filed over the murder of trawler driver Mortuza Ali in Dhaka’s Savar 21 years ago.

Dhaka Additional District and Sessions Court-7 Judge Md Abdullah Al Masud delivered the verdict today (3 May), according to court sources.

The convicts, Md Abdul Mannan and Md Chan Mia alias Maruf, have also been fined Tk10,000 each. In default of payment of the fine, they will have to serve another six months of rigorous imprisonment.

According to the case statement, on the afternoon of 26 July 2005, Mortuza Ali, a trawler driver from the Aminbazar area in Savar, left home to buy diesel and went missing.

On 30 July, his mutilated body was recovered from Shyamalasi Haor.

Following the incident, the victim’s uncle, Md Ibrahim, filed a murder case with Savar Police Station.

After completing the investigation, Sub-Inspector Md Abdus Sattar submitted the charge sheet to the court on 28 May 2006.

On 28 February 2007, the court framed charges against the accused and ordered the trial to begin. During the trial, Mannan pleaded not guilty and claimed innocence. The court recorded the testimonies of seven witnesses.

According to the charge sheet, on the evening of the incident, the accused Mannan and Chan Mia rented the victim’s trawler and headed south. On the way, they killed him and dumped the body in the water to conceal the crime.

Later, police arrested the accused and recovered the victim’s trawler from them.