A metropolitan session court in Dhaka has sentenced three men to death for the mugging and murder of Saymon, a young garment worker slain at the Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals Memorial. The court also fined each of the condemned convicts 20,000 Bangladeshi taka. A fourth individual, identified as Sujon, was handed a three-year custodial sentence alongside an arrest warrant for purchasing the victim’s stolen mobile handset.
Presiding Judge Zahidul Islam of the 13th Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court delivered the judgment on Tuesday. Reflecting on the decision, the judge remarked that a dangerous perception had taken root across society that perpetrators of violent street crime routinely evade justice. Severe and exemplary punishment was imperative in this case to instil fear of the law among criminals and restore public faith in the judicial process.
The murder occurred on the night of 11 October 2022. Saymon, who had recently relocated to the capital from Morelganj in Bagerhat district, lived with his uncle and worked at a garment unit in Mirpur. Having received his very first monthly salary of 10,000 taka, the youngster set out to celebrate with his friends Rabbi and Hridoy near the Sony Cinema Hall area. After spending 2,000 taka on a new pair of trousers and a meal, Saymon and Rabbi began their journey home.
En route, the pair were accosted by muggers who fabricated a scheme, alleging the youths matched the description of suspects in a local assault. Under the pretext of showing them photographs on a telephone, the assailants coerced Saymon and Rabbi onto a cycle-rickshaw, navigating them towards the secluded Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals Graveyard. Once there, the gang isolated Saymon, stripped him of his remaining cash and mobile phone, and plunged a knife into his chest before fleeing. Local residents rushed the heavily bleeding victim to a nearby hospital, where attending doctors declared him dead on arrival.
In the wake of the tragedy, the victim’s father, Shahjahan Sheikh, lodged a murder case at Darus Salam Police Station. Following a swift investigation, law enforcement officers submitted a charge sheet to the court on 31 January 2023. Formal trial proceedings opened on 2 August 2023 with the framing of charges against the three primary accused: Md Yusuf, Iqbal Khan, and Mehedi Hasan.
Throughout the course of the trial, the prosecution presented 18 witnesses whose testimonies, along with forensic records, established the guilt of the primary suspects. The court ordered the three condemned men to be remanded under death warrants while granting them a statutory seven-day window to lodge an appeal before the High Court Division. Meanwhile, Sujon, who bought the stolen handset, was tried in absentia and remains at large.
