The other convicts are Kajal's brother Mohammad Sirajul Islam Faruq, Moloy Sarker, Bhutto alias Abu Taleb, Kazi Noor Qaiyum, Kalam alias 'Narsingdi' Kalam, Mohammad Mintoo, Nizam and Mohammad Abdur Rahim.

Only Rahim was present in the court during the delivery of the verdict while the rest were tried in absentia.

Judge Shahed Noor Uddin of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 handed down the sentence at packed courtroom.

The lone accused in custody was brought to courtroom 10 minutes before the judge took his seat at 12:30pm and he read out the highlights of the 76-page judgement in five minutes.

The judge observed there was no room for sympathy and kindness for people who committed such heinous crimes. Moreover, they crippled a family forever, the judge noted.

The fugitives' punishment will be effective from the day of their arrest or surrender and the convicts can appeal to the High Court (HC) against the verdict within 30 days from the day of receipt of the judgement copy, the judge said.

The judge said the convicts were given death sentence twice but one of the sentences would be executed after the HC confirmed it.

The gang of miscreants led by Kajal abducted Shamsul Haque, 52, owner of a hosiery market in Old Dhaka, his son Russel Sheikh, 29, and driver Moazzem Hossain, 37, on March 26 last year and killed them in a bid to grab Shamsul's market and Tk 5 lakh.

The gang chopped the victims' bodies into 149 pieces and dumped them at different places of Dhanmondi and Gazipur to destroy the evidence.

Following the murder, over 1,000 businessmen from 36 markets of Sadarghat flocked the Kazi Abdur Rouf Lane home of the bereaved family to offer condolences. The businessmen blamed the government for neglecting their security concerns triggered by the murder of another businessman, Selim Reza.

Shamsul was an advisor to Awami League's (AL) Louhojang upazila unit in Munshiganj.

Victim's wife, also the complainant of the case, Sufia Khatun, his son Palash Khan, daughter Yasmin Sultana and sister Pushpa Begum were present in the courtroom and broke down in tears as the verdict was delivered.

''We are satisfied with the verdict but we fear for our lives as the fugitives had threatened us over telephone to withdraw the case. They (fugitives) also told us to be ready for the 'dire consequences' as we did not withdraw the case," said Sufia.

The family members of the victims urged the government to tighten their security and take necessary steps to arrest the fugitives otherwise they (family members) would be killed like the victims, they added.

Special Public Prosecutor Abdul Latif Talukder told The Daily Star that it was the most gruesome and heinous killing in the history of Bangladesh and the verdict will be an example for the country.

Sufia had filed a murder case with the Sutrapur Police Station accusing Kajal and four others a day after the murder of her husband and son.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police pressed charges against Kajal and eight others on October 5 last year showing 59 people as prosecution witnesses. During the investigation, Rahim had given a confessional statement to a magistrate disclosing the names of his fellow culprits.

The prosecution and the defence completed their arguments and the court recorded statements of 23 prosecution witnesses.

Special Public Prosecutor Abdul Latif Talukder and state appointed lawyer Advocate M Sajwar Hossain appeared for the state while Advocate Mosharraf Hossain Kajol defended the accused in the case.

Another case was filed with Dhamrai Police Station for the killing of the driver Moazzem Hossain as his body was found at Dhamrai.

The driver murder case is now pending with the Fifth Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court, Dhaka.