5 get death, 4 jailed till natural death over Dr Narayan murder

A Dhaka court has sentenced five people to death and another four to imprisonment till natural death in a case filed over the 2012 murder of National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital (NIDCH) associate professor Dr Narayan Chandra Nitai.

Judge Md Rezaul Karim of Dhaka Special Judge Court-10 pronounced the verdict in the presence of the convicts on Sunday and later sent them back to jail with conviction warrants.

The death row convicts are Dr Narayan's driver Kamrul Hasan Arun, Bokul Miah, Masum Mintu, Sayeed Bepari and Hossain Miji. The court sentenced Saidul, Masum alias Pyada Masum, Md Abul Kalam and Foysal to imprisonment till natural death, while Rafikul Islam was handed life imprisonment. 

Dr Narayan was stabbed to death at his residence in the NIDCH residential area on August 23, 2012. His father, Tarit Kanti Dutta, filed the case the same day with Banani Police Station.

Police submitted the charge sheet against 10 accused on February 11, 2013. The court framed charges on July 22, 2013, and delivered the judgment today after examining 29 witnesses during the trial.

Six of the convicts had earlier confessed, stating they killed the doctor after he woke up during a robbery at his house.