Three Bangladeshi men convicted over 2011 murder of compatriot

Three Bangladeshi men were convicted on Sunday over the murder of a fellow Bangladeshi man on Fuvahmulah in June 2011.

The 25 year-old victim, identified only as Shareeful, was found dead in a ditch with signs of torture. He had been working as a carpenter on the southern island.

Two of the defendants, M D Salam and Shareef, were found guilty of premeditated murder based on their confession to the police as well as eyewitness testimony, DNA evidence, and the crime scene examination report.

The pair was sentenced to 20 years in prison with reference to the old penal code.

Their co-defendant Alaal was found guilty of aiding and abetting the murder and sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison.

According to the verdict, the victim Shareeful was taken to Alaal’s room on the night of June 28, 2011 and assaulted by M D Salam and Shareef, who strangled him with a USB cable, banged his head on the floor and snapped his neck. Alaal had checked to see if Shareeful was dead and helped the others to dispose the body.

The two prime suspects had been arrested shortly after the body was discovered. It is unclear why the murder trial took eight years.

The judiciary has faced criticism over murder trials that remain stalled for years.