Shawdesh Desk:

A Barguna court has sentenced six juvenile accused to ten years of imprisonment, four others to five years and one to three years in the much-discussed Rifat Sharif murder case.

Judge Hafizur Rahman of the Barguna Children’s Court announced the verdict on Tuesday afternoon.

The court also acquitted three others from the murder charge.

Of the 14 juvenile accused, the court sentenced Rashidul Hasan Rishan Foraji, Md Rakibul Hasan Rifat, Md Abdullah Raihan, Md Oliullah Oli, Md Nayeem, and Md Tanvir Hossain to 10-year imprisonment. The court sentenced Joy Chandra Sarker, Nazmul Hasan, Rakibul Hasnat Niyamat and Md Syed Maruf Billah to five-year-imprisonment and Prince Mollah to three-year-imprisonment.

The acquitted persons are Maruf Mallik, Ratul Sikder Joy and Ariyan Hossain Srabon.

Earlier on January 8, the children court framed charges against the juvenile accused and on October 14 set today to pronounce the judgement after examining 74 witnesses on different hearing dates. Of the 14 juvenile accused, seven had given confessional statements in the case.

Barguna District and Sessions Judge Court on September 30 sentenced six persons, including victim’s wife Ayesha Siddiqa Minni, to death in the sensational Rifat Sharif murder case.

The other death-row-convicts are- Rakibul Hasan alias Rifat Foraji, Al Kaium alias Rabbi Akon, Mohaimenul Islam Sifat, Rezwan Alai Khan Hridoy alias Tiktok Hridoy and Md Hasan. They were also fined Taka 50 thousand each.

The court also acquitted four other accused – Rafiul Islam Rabbi, Md Sagar, Kamrul Islam Saimun and Md Musa alias Musa Bond.

The court came up with the judgement after examining 76 witnesses on 43 hearing dates.

The district and sessions judge court on January 1 framed charges against the 10 adult accused for directly participating in the brutal murder, plotting the crime and helping the killers to escape the scene.

Victim Rifat Sharif was hacked to death in broad daylight in Barguna on June 26, 2019. Police on July 16 showed his wife Minni, who was the main witness in the case earlier, arrested for her role in the gruesome murder.