A Cumilla court has sentenced two men to life imprisonment and six others 10-year in jail for killing a shoe trader in 2009 in Chauddagram upazila.

Judge Sabbir Mahmud Chowdhury of the Cumilla Additional District and Sessions Judge Court-4 delivered the verdict, with fine Tk50,000 each on Tuesday.

The two sentenced to life are Mehedi Hasan Jamshed, 21, of Morkota village, and Shahidul Islam Masum, 32, of South Char Chandia village in Feni’s Sonagazi upazila.

The six others are Jasim Uddin Patwari, 32, of Feni; Jamal Hossain Manik, 31, and Ekramul Haque Milon, 41, of Cumilla; Ibrahim alias Boro Mia, 45, of Noakhali; Alauddin Tota, 28, of Feni; and Shahabuddin, 38, of Chattogram. All the convicts are currently absconding.

According to case statement, victim Md Yousuf Bhuiyan Tipu, 28, stepped outside his house around 2am on May 16, 2009, when a group of armed robbers shot him and fled. He was rushed to the local health complex, where doctors declared him dead.

Tipu’s father, Mohammad Ali, 75, filed a murder case at Chauddagram Police Station the same day against unidentified assailants. Investigators later used technology to arrest four suspects, who gave confessional statements under Section 164 before a magistrate.

Police submitted the charge sheet on January 1, 2011. Following trial, the court found the two main accused guilty of murder and sentenced them to life imprisonment. Six others were convicted of lesser charges and given 10-year sentences each, with an additional six months in jail if they fail to pay the fine.

Of the 17 originally accused, three—Taju, Ibrahim, and Abdul Razzak—died during the trial. Six others were acquitted due to lack of evidence.

The case was prosecuted by Additional Public Prosecutors Advocate Md Iftekhar Hossain, Advocate Md Ekram Hossain, and Advocate Jalal Uddin Ahmed Tipu.

MSK/