A Bangladeshi court has sentenced three young men to death for the abduction and brutal murder of a ten-year-old schoolboy, a crime committed out of fear that the child would expose his captors. The verdict, delivered after months of investigation and trial, has brought a measure of closure to the grieving family while reigniting debate about child safety and violent crime in the country.
The victim, Ahnaf Al Maeen, a Year Four pupil at Feni Grammar School, was returning home from his regular coaching classes on 8 December 2024, as he did on most weekdays. On that evening, however, he never reached home. He was abducted while travelling through Feni Sadar upazila. Shortly afterwards, the kidnappers contacted his father, Main Uddin, by mobile phone and demanded a ransom of 1.2 million taka for the child’s release.
Investigators later established that during his captivity, Ahnaf recognised one of his abductors. Fearing that the boy could identify them if released, the kidnappers decided to kill him. His body was disposed of in a bid to conceal the crime.
Four days later, on 12 December, police recovered Ahnaf’s body from a pond beside the Dewanganj railway line in Feni Sadar. Following the discovery, his father filed a criminal case alleging kidnapping and murder. The case prompted swift police action, and within a short period all three suspects were arrested. Each subsequently gave confessional statements before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
On Thursday afternoon, the judge of the Feni Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal, District and Sessions Judge A N M Morshed Khan, pronounced the verdict. The three men convicted and sentenced to death are Ashraf Hossain Chowdhury (20), Md Mobarak Hossain (20), and Omar Faruk (20).
Ashraf Hossain Chowdhury is the son of Iqbal Hossain Chowdhury from Nijpanua village in Radhanagar Union, Chhagalnaiya upazila. At the time of the crime, he was a first-year computer technology student at Feni Polytechnic Institute. Md Mobarak Hossain, son of Billal Hossain of Barahipur area in Feni municipality, worked as a CNG-powered auto-rickshaw driver. The third convict, Omar Faruk, is the son of Md Shah Alam from Kamalpur area of Lakshmipur Sadar upazila.
According to court sources, the prosecution presented testimony from 22 witnesses. Police submitted the charge sheet on 30 March last year, and the tribunal formally accepted it on 25 May. After examining the evidence and hearing arguments from both sides, the court concluded that the charges had been proven beyond reasonable doubt.
The prosecution was led by Public Prosecutor Md Shahab Uddin Ahmad, assisted by Additional Public Prosecutor Mezbah Uddin Khan. Defence counsel included Sabbir Uddin, Kamrul Hasan and Shamsuddin Manik.
Below is a summary of key facts in the case:
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Victim | Ahnaf Al Maeen, 10, Year Four pupil |
| Date of abduction | 8 December 2024 |
| Ransom demand | 1.2 million taka |
| Body recovered | 12 December 2024 |
| Location | Dewanganj railway area, Feni Sadar |
| Accused | Three men aged 20 |
| Verdict | Death penalty |
| Witnesses heard | 22 |
Public Prosecutor Shahab Uddin Ahmad said all three convicts were present in court when the verdict was delivered and were immediately transferred to the district jail under heavy security.
Expressing satisfaction with the judgment, Ahnaf’s father, Main Uddin, said the ruling had given him a sense of justice for the loss of his young son. He also called for the sentence to be carried out without delay, stating that no punishment could truly compensate for the life that was taken, but that justice must be seen to be done.