3 outlaws to die, another murdered by rivals

Three outlaws were sentenced to death yesterday in Chuadanga, another hacked to death in Pabna the day before while a former outlaw who deserted from Ansar was held with sharp weapons in Khulna on Tuesday.
Our Correspondent in Kushtia reports: A Chuadanga court yesterday sentenced three cadres of outlawed Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP-ML) to death for killing farmer Firoz Malitha in 1998.
Judge of Special Tribunal-2 Chuadanga Monzurul Haq Khan pronounced the verdict in presence of two convicts as the third one is absconding.
The court also fined them Tk 10,000 each, in default, to suffer one year more in jail.
The convicts are Mantu, 36, of Khsakarra, Salam, 33, of Boleshwarpur and Toriqul, 29 of Harakandi in Alamdanga upazila of the district.
According to prosecution story, the three demanded Tk 1 lakh as illegal toll from farmer Firoz Malitha and threatened to kill him in case of failure to pay the amount.
As Firoz refused to pay the money, the PBCP cadres went to his house at about 9:30pm on April 25, 1998. They called Firoz out of his house, took him to a nearby field and stabbed him severely.
Critically injured Firoz succumbed to his injuries at Chuadanga Sadar Hospital at about 3:30 am. Before death, Firoz disclosed the names of the killers to police.
Our Correspondent in Pabna reports: A hardened member of Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) Lal Pataka faction was hacked to death at village Korial in Santhia upazila.
Police recovered the decapitated body from a water body in the evening.
The victim was identified as Abdul Halim,32, son of Hazrat Ali of the village.
Police said, he was an operative of outlawed PBCP Lal Pataka faction and accused in several cases. Internal feud might be the reason behind the murder, police observed.
In Khulna, a former outlaw who deserted from Ansar service in 2000 was arrested by a special team of DB police in the early morning of Tuesday from his house at Anandanagar village under Terokheda upazila.
Outlaw Akhtaruzzaman Jun,40, earlier surrendered to police along with 595 others of the district. He laid down arms and ammunition to take opportunity of general amnesty in 1999 and for that reason he was provided with job in the Ansar department.
But he deserted from Ansar service and DB police recovered two large daggers from his possession.
According to OC Moniruzzaman of Terokheda police station, Jun was a listed outlaw and wanted in 13 criminals cases including murders and extortions filed against him after he deserted Ansar service.
The arrestee was taken on remand for two days yesterday for interrogation in connection with the cases, OC said.
A case was filed against him with Terokheda police station under Arms Act on Wednesday afternoon.