5 Gaibandha war criminals awarded death penalty

The International Crimes Tribunal today handed down death penalty to five people of Gaibandha for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.

The three-member tribunal led by Justice Md Shahinur Islam pronounced the verdict after finding all the five accused guilty in offences.

One of the five convicts Ranju Miah was produced before the court today while the rest are on the run.

The fugitives are Abdul Jabbar Mondol and his two sons -- Jachhijar Rahman alias Khoka and Abdul Wahed Mondol-- and Montaz Ali Bepari alias Momtaj.

The tribunal asked the inspector general of police to take immediate steps to arrest the fugitives.

According to the tribunal's investigation agency, they were involved in four incidents of killings, abduction, confinement, torture, arson and looting.

The charges involved killing one Hindu man, torturing two Hindu women and forcing around 400 Hindus of the Sadar upazila's Sahapara union to leave the country; killing nine people at Nandina village and looting around 50 houses; killing five people at Doulatpur village, and killing seven people in Sahapara union.

The prosecution on March 9 pressed four charges against the five.