A Cox’s Bazar court on Sunday sentenced eight persons to death for killing an NGO official about 10 years ago.
   The convicts are Delwar, Shafi, Lalu, Ishaq, Kamal, Alam, Nurul Alam and Helal. Of them, Delwar, Shafi, Lalu and Ishaq were tried in their absence.
   According to the prosecution, in a bid to commit robbery the convicts shot Saiful Islam Chowdhury, manager of a Japanese NGO, Waska, dead at Moheshkhali Channel on August 26, 1996 when he along with his colleagues was going to the Cox’s Bazar town by a boat.
   The NGO workers also shot fires on the robbers leaving one of them dead of the spot.
   After examining 12 witnesses, additional district and sessions judge Mutazidur Rahman delivered the judgement.
   Meanwhile a Jhalakati court on Sunday sentenced seven persons, including a former UP chairman, to five years’ rigorous imprisonment for killing a youth about nine years ago.
   The convicts are former chairman of Galua union under Rajapur upazila Nazmul Ahsan Khosru, his brother Ziaul Ahsan Talukder, son Reaz Talukder, nephews Shabuj Khandakar and Rizvi Khandakar and relatives Farid and Dulal. Of them, Reaz, Farid and Dulal were tried in their absence.
   The court also fined them Tk 10,000 each, in default, to suffer one year more imprisonment.
   According to the prosecution, Khosru along with his relatives picked up Babul, son of Barendranath Haldar, of village Putiakhali under Rajapur upazila, on March 30, 1997 and since then he was missing.
   After examining the records and 10 witnesses, assistant sessions judge M Ismail Hossain found them guilty and pronounced the judgement.

Three persons, including two housewives, were killed in Comilla, Nilphamari and Jessore on Saturday night and Sunday.
   New Age Comilla correspondent reports that a man allegedly killed his wife for dowry at village Halgoan under Burichang upazila in Comilla on Sunday night.
   The deceased is Hasina Akhter, 32, daughter of Ali Ahmed of village Poriholpara at Mokam union of the upazila.
   The police quoting local people said Hasina got married with Md Alamgir about fifteen years ago. Alamgir recently demanded dowry from the parents of Hasina, mother of three children. As she failed to bring the money he on Saturday night beat her to death.
   Later, Alamgir tried to misrepresent the killing as a suicide by pouring poison into her mouth, relatives of the victim said.
   Hasina’s father filed a murder case with the local police station against her husband, mother-in-law and brother-in-law. The accused, however, went into hiding.
   Meanwhile the UNB adds: A housewife was strangled after rape allegedly by her husband and his accomplices at village Gopaljhara under Jaldhaka upazila in Nilphamari on Saturday night.
   The police said infamous cow lifter Farid Miah married Feroza Begum, 23, seven months back and tried to force her into prostitution.
   On the fateful night he again put pressure on her to work as a prostitute and on her refusal he and his accomplices raped Feroza and strangled her.
   Local people found the body on the floor of the house next morning and informed the matter to the police.
   The police recovered the body and also arrested one Sirajul Islam in this connection.
   In Jessore, one person was killed on Sunday.
   Quoting locals the police said Samatullah, 65, of village Bagdahander under Abhaynagar upazila was beaten to death by some local miscreants led by Ebadat.
   Reason behind the killing could not be known immediately. A case was filed.

Three persons were killed in separate road accidents in Mymensingh, Manikganj and Jessore on Sunday and Saturday night.
   New Age Mymensingh correspondent reports that an assistant sub-inspector of police was killed in a road accident on the Mymensingh-Tangail Highway in the Golganda area in the Mymensingh district town at around 11:00am on Sunday.
   The deceased is Liton Chandra Sarker, 28, son of Sujon Chandra Sarker of village Andharia under Barhatta upazila in Netrakona.
   The police said the accident took place when a sand-laden truck hit the motorcycle rode by Liton from behind killing him dead on the spot.
   The ASI was going to his new workplace at police training centre in Tangail after being transferred from Chittagong recently.
   The police recovered the body and sent it to the Mymensingh Medical College Hospital morgue for post-mortem examination.
   The UNB adds: A man was killed in a road accident on the Dhaka-Aricha Highway near Baniajuri bus stand in Manikganj on Saturday night.
   The deceased is Rejaul Karim, 25, of village Tarail under Ghior upazila and a staff of Monnu Fabrics Ltd.
   Witnesses said Rejaul was run over by a speedy truck at about 9:00pm while he was returning home from his workplace. The police sent the body to hospital morgue.
   In another incident, Rupchand Ali Sardar alias Rupi, 60, of village Kathaltola under Monirampur upazila in Jessore died on the spot when a motorcycle hit his bicycle from behind.
   The police recovered the body and sent it to hospital morgue.

Pilferage of costly machinery parts of the Teesta Irrigation Project has of late become rampant much to the concern of the high officials of the project.
   Many pieces of machinery parts such as cover of electric box fitted to the gates of the barrage and dredger pipe were stolen from the project in recent times outwitting the security guards in the protected area.
   At least four pieces of dredger pipe of the mechanical division were stolen a few days ago.
   The theft of the costly mechanical parts and spares imported from abroad has become a matter of great
   concern of the high project officials.
   Locals maintained that some staffs of the project might be involved in the pilferage of the machinery parts.
   They also blamed the high officials of the project for their indifference towards the safety of the mechanical parts and spares of the Teesta Irrigation Project, the largest of its kind in the country.
   Built at a cost of Tk 1,600, the project provides irrigation facilities to about seven lakh hectares of land in seven northern districts of the country through the canals stretching 1,450 kilometres in length.