'Pradeep, Liakat killed Sinha in a premeditated manner'

Suspended police inspector Liakat Ali and former officer-in-charge of Teknaf Police Station Pradeep Kumar Das had murdered retired Army Major Sinha Md Rashed Khan in a premeditated manner, observed a Cox's Bazar court while delivering the verdict in the sensational case today.

Cox's Bazar District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Ismail sentenced Liakat Ali and Pradeep Kumar Das to death, six others to life term imprisonment, and acquitted seven others in the verdict.

"This court tried to unravel whether it was a planned murder or a conspiracy, or it happened in the progression of the events on that day. The court also tried to determine whether the murder could have been avoided. Based on pieces of evidence presented in the case, it has been proven that the murder was preplanned," the judge observed in the verdict read out between 2:26 pm and 4:26 pm.

The court also observed that witnesses' accounts revealed Sinha Md Rashed Khan was given salute at two check-posts prior to the killing, which suggested that he was killed even though his identity was not unknown.

"Liakat Ali and Pradeep Kumar Das collaborated to the killing in a preplanned manner, and hence they were handed the death penalty. The six given life term imprisonment were involved in the killing and assisted Liakat and Pradeep in different ways and hence they cannot be relieved of the charges brought against them in connection with the killing," the court also observed.

"Liakat also tried to divert the investigation by tampering and damaging evidence and changing statements of the state's witnesses, alongside bringing false charges of murder and narcotics against Sinha's assistant Sifat. All of these are punishable criminal offences," said the judge.

"Pradeep ensured Sinha's death by kicking him on the left side of his chest and then delaying to send him to hospital. He also was involved in staging the false case of murder and narcotics," Judge Ismail observed.

Referring to the seven acquitted in the case, the court observed that the state could not prove their charges beyond doubt; hence it was apparent that they were innocent.