A metropolitan session court in Dhaka has sentenced three men to death over the brutal robbery and murder of Saymon, a young garment factory worker who was stabbed to death at the Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals Memorial four years ago. The court simultaneously fined each of the three condemned convicts £130 (20,000 Bangladeshi Taka). A fourth associate, identified as Sujon, received a three-year custodial sentence alongside an arrest warrant for receiving and purchasing the victim’s stolen mobile telephone.
Presiding Judge Zahidul Islam of the 13th Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court delivered the verdict on Tuesday. During the pronouncement, the judge observed that an impression had taken root amongst the populace that perpetrators of such street crimes rarely face punishment. The court noted that the capital sentence was explicitly handed down to convey a decisive deterrent message to wider society.
The tragic incident dates back to 11 October 2022. Saymon, who had recently migrated to the capital from Morelganj in Bagerhat district, worked at a ready-made garment factory in Mirpur while residing with his uncle. Having received his very first monthly pay cheque of £65 (10,000 Taka), the youth set out to celebrate with his companions, Rabbi and Hridoy, near the Sony Cinema Hall venue. Saymon spent roughly £13 (2,000 Taka) on a new pair of trousers before the group prepared to head home.
En route, the youths were intercepted by muggers who concocted a pretext, alleging the group matched the description of individuals involved in an assault. Under the guise of showing them photographs on a handset, the muggers coerced Saymon and Rabbi onto a rickshaw and transported them towards the Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals Graveyard. Once isolated, the assailants forcibly seized Saymon’s remaining earnings and mobile phone before plunging a knife into his chest and fleeing the scene. Although local residents rushed the critically injured worker to a nearby hospital, attending physicians declared him dead upon arrival.
Following the fatality, the victim’s father, Shahjahan Sheikh, lodged a formal murder case at Darus Salam Police Station. Law enforcement officers completed their investigation and submitted a charge sheet on 31 January 2023. The trial officially commenced on 2 August 2023 with the framing of charges against the accused—Md Yusuf, Iqbal Khan, and Mehedi Hasan.
Over the course of the judicial proceedings, the prosecution presented 18 witnesses whose testimonies established the guilt of the primary perpetrators. The court has directed the three principal convicts to be remanded to prison under death warrants, while permitting them seven days to lodge an appeal before the High Court Division.
