Photo: BSS

BOGURA, June 21, 2026 (BSS) - A court here today sentenced five people to death and five others to 10 years' imprisonment for the murder of eight-year-old Rifat Hossain in Shahjahanpur upazila of the district in 2018.

Judge Anwarul Haque of the Bogura Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-1 pronounced the verdict.

The convicts sentenced to death are Abul Kalam Azad, Sagar, Selim Islam, Mehedi Hasan and Raju Islam, all residents of Khadas area in Shahjahanpur upazila. Among them, Sagar and Selim Islam have remained absconding for a long time.

The court also sentenced five individuals to 10 years in prison as they were minors at the time of the crime. They are Sojib Hasan, Mofizul Islam, Jahid Hasan, Borhan Ali and Bayezid Hossain, who are also residents of the same locality.

According to the case statement, Rifat Hossain was the son of Enamul Haque of Khadas Hatkhola area in Shahjahanpur. The accused were all neighbors and known to the victim's family.

The prosecution said that on July 15, 2018, the accused murdered Rifat and concealed his body. His father later filed a case with Shahjahanpur Police Station after the child's body was recovered on July 18.

Court sources said that the principal accused, Abul Kalam Azad, had repeatedly demanded money from Enamul Haque after he returned home from abroad. On the day of the incident, Azad allegedly asked Enamul for a loan of Taka 100,000. When Enamul refused, Rifat went missing later that afternoon.

After an extensive search failed to locate the child, Enamul filed a general diary (GD) with the police. Three days later, he was informed that a child's body had been found beneath a bridge in neighboring Poyalgacha village. He subsequently identified the body as that of his son, Rifat.

A total of 11 people were charged in the case under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act. However, one of the accused, Masud Rana, was exempted from the proceedings after his death during the trial.