A court in Lalmonirhat on Monday sentenced three men to life imprisonment with hard labor for abducting, assaulting, and robbing an Indian truck driver in Patgram in 2019.
Additional District and Sessions Judge-2 S.M. Shafiqul Islam also fined each convict BDT 10,000, with an additional three months' imprisonment in default of payment. The court further sentenced each to seven years in prison under Section 365 of the Penal Code for abduction. Both sentences will run concurrently.
According to the case, Indian truck driver Lakshminandan Singh, 36, entered Bangladesh through the Burimari Land Port with a stone-laden truck on August 21, 2019. The convicts allegedly lured him with the promise of recovering his stranded truck, took him to a remote area on a motorcycle, stabbed him, robbed him of INR 8,000, and left him injured on the roadside. He was later rescued by police and locals and admitted to Patgram Upazila Health Complex.
The court found the accused guilty under Sections 365 (abduction) and 394 (robbery causing hurt) of the Penal Code after concluding that the charges had been proven beyond reasonable doubt. One of the convicts, Sabuj Mia, has remained absconding since the beginning of the case. Prosecutors welcomed the verdict, calling it a significant judgment against cross-border crime.
