The High Court today confirmed death penalty of three persons, including a sacked police constable, for killing nine-year-old Abu Sayeed for ransom in Sylhet in 2015.

Abu Sayeed, a fourth grader at Shah Mir Govt Primary School in Sylhet, was abducted by the convicts on March 11, 2015. They had demanded Tk 500,000 in ransom from his family.

Three days later, Sylhet police recovered Sayeed's body in a sack from the attic of Constable Ebadur Rahman's house at Kumarpara in the city.

Outraged by the incident, locals strongly protested and demanded punishment of the killers.

The victim's father Abdul Matin filed a murder case against the arrestees and three other unidentified people.

Today, the HC confirmed death penalty -- given by a Sylhet court -- of Abdur Rakib, the then general secretary of Sylhet district unit Awami Olama League; Ebadur Rahman, a sacked constable of Sylhet airport police; and Ataur Rahman Geda, a police informant.

The HC bench of Justice Shahidul Karim and Justice Md Akhtaruzzaman delivered the verdict after accepting the death reference (trial court documents) and dismissing the appeals filed by the convicts, challenging the lower court judgement on them.

The HC confirmed the death sentences of three convicts saying that they made confessional statements to the magistrates and the allegations brought against them were proved beyond reasonable doubt, Ebadur Rahman's lawyer Mohammad Shishir Manir told The Daily Star.

He said his client will move an appeal before the Appellate Division against the HC verdict after receiving its certified copy.

All three convicts are now at Kashmirpur jail.

Deputy Attorney General Bashir Ahmed represented the state during hearing on the death reference and appeals, while lawyers Sayed Ahmed Raza and Md Siddique Rahman appeared for Rakib and Ataur.

On November 30 in 2015, Judge Abdur Rashid of Sylhet Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal handed down capital punishment to Rakib, Ebadur and Ataur in the murder case and also fined them Tk 1 lakh each in default of which they will have to serve one year in prison.