Lone accused given death penalty

A Sylhet court yesterday handed down death sentence to a youth for the 2016 murder of college student Tonni Ray in Nabiganj upazila of Habiganj.

Rezaul Karim, judge of Speedy Trial Tribunal in Sylhet, delivered the verdict against the lone accused, Ranu Ray, 25, from the same upazila, said Kishor Kumar Kar, special public prosecutor.

Tonni's father Bimol Ray expressed satisfaction over the verdict, saying, “I am pleased with the verdict and hope to see the death sentence carried out as soon as possible.”

According to the case statement, Tonni, 18, was murdered on September 17, 2016.

Tonni had gone missing the same day after she went out of the house for computer lessons at a training school in the upazila. After three days of search, her body was found in a sack in a river in the area.

Her father filed the case with Nabiganj Police Station. Police arrested Ranu from Brahmanbaria on October 7 that year.

On October 8, Ranu, in a statement given under section 164 before Habiganj Judicial Magistrate Nishat Sultana, confessed to have committed the murder.

In February last year, the case was sent to the Speedy Trial Tribunal in Sylhet and the tribunal recorded depositions of 20 witnesses.