A.F.M. Asad Ullah: In the murder case of Advocate Shamsul Islam Chowdhury, former president of the Sylhet District Bar Association and retired flight lieutenant, the court sentenced his youngest son Masud Ahmed Chowdhury Munna and two others to death. The convicted individuals are Masud Ahmed Chowdhury Munna, Jaher Ali, and Ansar Ahmed. Each was also fined Tk 20,000, with an additional three years of rigorous imprisonment in default of payment.
Additionally, the court sentenced microbus driver Borhan Uddin to three years of imprisonment and fined him Tk 5,000, while another accused, Ismail Hossain Ranu, was acquitted due to lack of evidence.
The verdict was delivered on Tuesday by Judge Md. Shahadat Hossain Pramanik of the Sylhet Divisional Special Judge’s Court.
Public Prosecutor (PP) Advocate Ansaruzzaman stated that 19 of the 30 witnesses in the case testified during the trial. However, none of the accused were present in court at the time of the verdict, as all remain absconding.
According to case details, on the night of the murder, Munna rendered his father unconscious by hitting him on the head with a stone while he was praying. He then injected him with a sedative to ensure total unconsciousness, placed him in a vehicle, and dumped his body in the Surma River near Mollikpur in Sunamganj’s Chhatak area. The body was discovered days later in the Surma River near Brahmangao village in Sunamganj. Munna had reportedly been assisted in the crime by the driver and two other accomplices.
PP Ansaruzzaman also noted the swift and dedicated handling of the case by Judge Md. Shahadat Hossain Pramanik, who prioritized the resolution of this heinous crime involving the murder of a senior lawyer. The case was transferred to the Sylhet Divisional Special Judge’s Court on March 10 of this year. Arguments and hearings were concluded on April 24, and the verdict was announced today.
Court registrar Md. Ahmed Ali disclosed that Munna had demanded that his father transfer the front portion of their Mirboxtula house to his name. Upon his father’s refusal, Munna frequently subjected him to mental abuse.
The case documents reveal that on July 17, 2011, the night of Shab-e-Barat, Advocate Shamsul Islam Chowdhury went missing from his residence in Mirboxtula, Sylhet. The following day, his youngest son Munna filed a general diary (GD) at the Kotwali Police Station. Five days later, Munna himself disappeared and was later found to have fled to India.
On August 4, Shamsul Islam’s elder son Mahmud Ahmed Chowdhury filed a murder case at the Kotwali Police Station. Subsequently, members of RAB-9 arrested Ansar Ahmed, Borhan Uddin, and Ismail Hossain Ranu, two of whom later confessed to the crime in court. On August 27, parts of Shamsul Islam’s body, along with a Panjabi and a cap, were recovered from the Surma River in Chhatak, Sunamganj. DNA testing confirmed the identity of the remains.
