Judge Jahangir Alamgir Mollah of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-4 gave the verdict at a crowded courtroom.

Habibur Rahman, Shah Alam, Moinuddin, Nur Mohammad, Alam, Delwar Hossain, Shukur Ali and Altu Miah were awarded death penalty while Jasim, Siddiq, Amir Chand, Kabir and Bazlur Rahman were jailed for life.

All the convicts, however, have been absconding.

The judge said the punishment to the convicts would be effective from the date of their arrest or surrender. The convicts can also appeal to the High Court within 30 days.

According to the prosecution story, a gang of robbers stormed into the shop of one Ferdous Miah at Bara Bazar in Kishoreganj district at the dead of night on December 30, 2000 and took away TK 12.50 lakh and 110 tolas of gold ornaments.

The robbers also killed two relatives of the shop owner -- Mosharraf Hossain and Abdul Barek -- before leaving the scene.

The shop owner Ferdous Miah filed a murder case with Kishoreganj police.

The investigation officer of the case pressed charges against 14 robbers on February 14 last year. And the court framed charges against them on June 16 this year.

Twenty-two prosecution witnesses were examined during the trial.

Special Public Prosecutor Harun-or-Rashid Khan conducted the case on behalf of the state while advocates Mokbul Ahmed and Abdul Kader defended the accused.