GOPALGANJ,  – A court here today sentenced five people to death in absentia for killing easy-bike driver Zahidul Islam Babu at Sadar upazila in 2013.

The court also fined them Taka 50,000 each. Additional District and Sessions Judge Md. Abbas Uddin delivered the verdict this afternoon.

The convicted were identified as Khalid Fakir, son of Babul Fakir, Razzaq Mollah, son of Sukur Mollah, and Bipul Fakir, son of Anis Fakir, residents of Chandradigholia village under Sadar upazila, Hasan Sheikh, son of Khalil Sheikh of Baspur village under Kashiani upazila of the district, and Fasiar Mollah, son of Khokon Mollah of Chachai village under Lohagara upazila in Narail district.

The accused are all fugitives.

According to the details of the case, on September 25 in 2013, Khalid Fakir called Zahidul Islam Babu from his used cell phone and asked him to come to the main road adjacent to Kacha Bazar under Sadar upazila in the district town. Since then, he had remained missing.

On October 2 in 2013, police recovered his body from Bhulbaria Bridge on the Dhaka-Khulna highway road area of Gopalpur village under Kashiani upazila of the district.

On the same day, father of the victim Nazrul Mollah filed a murder case with the Gopalganj Sadar Police Station accusing Khalid Fakir and Razzak Mollah.

Police, however, submitted a charge sheet mentioning three more persons. After examining records and witnesses, the court handed down the verdict, Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP) Md Shahiduzzaman Khan, told BSS.