5 sentenced to death, 4 to imprisonment until death for killing NIDCH doctor

A Dhaka court today sentenced five men to death, four to imprisonment until death, and another to life term (30 years) in connection with the murder of Narayan Chandra Dutta alias Nitai, an assistant professor at the National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital (NIDCH), in 2012.

Those sentenced to death are the victim's driver Kamrul Hasan Arun, Masum Mintu, Sayeed Bepary, Bakul Miah and Sayeed Miji.

Peda Masud, Md Saidul, Abul Kalam alias "Pichhi Kalam" and Md Faisal were sentenced to imprisonment until death, while Rafiqul Islam received life term.

Judge Rezaul Karim of Dhaka's Special Judge's Court-10 delivered the verdict in the presence of all 10 convicts. The court observed that the prosecution had "undoubtedly" proved the charges of killing Narayan at his residence.

Prosecutors and defence lawyers concluded their arguments earlier, with the court hearing testimony from 23 prosecution witnesses, including the complainant.

Narayan, who was also an executive committee member of the Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA), was stabbed to death at his quarters in the NIDCH compound in Mohakhali on August 23, 2012.

The assailants stole Tk 5 lakh and two gold ornaments from the house.

At the time of the killing, only his elderly mother was at home. His wife, Lucky Chowdhury, was in Chattogram.

The day after the incident, Narayan's father, Tarit Kanti Dutta, filed a murder case with Banani Police Station against unidentified assailants.

Following investigation, detectives submitted a charge sheet on February 11, 2013 against Arun and nine others on charges of theft, burglary and murder.

Charges were framed against them on July 22 the same year.