Sohel Chowdhury murder: Aziz Mohammad Bhai, 2 others get life terms

A Dhaka court has sentenced businesspersons Aziz Mohammad Bhai alias Abdul Aziz, Trump Club owner Afakul Islam alias Bunty Islam and Adnan Siddique to life imprisonment for the killing of film star Sohel Chowdhury 25 years ago. The court acquitted seven other accused in the case.

Dhaka Speed Trial Tribunal-2 judge Arunabh Chakrabarty passed the verdict Thursday.

According to the lawyers and relevant court sources, five of the nine accused in the case are absconding. They are – prime accused Aziz Mohammad Bhai alias Abdul Aziz, Afakul Islam alias Bunty Islam, Selim Khan, Harun-or-Rashid alias ‘Leather Liton’ alias ‘Boss Liton’ and Adnan Siddique.

Besides, three of the accused – Ashish Roy Chowdhury alias Botol Chowdhury, Tarik Sayeed Mamun and Faruque Abbasi - are on bail while another accused Sanjidul Islam Emon is in prison at the moment.

According to the case documents and the public prosecutor, film star Sohel Chowdhury was shot dead by some unidentified miscreants in front of the Trump Club in the capitals Banani area on 17 December 1998.

Later, it was revealed in the investigation of the detective branch (DB) of police that some hired professional killers had slain Sohel Chowdhury over a dispute with Aziz Mohammad Bhai, Bunti Islam and Ashish Roy Chowdhury.

A charge sheet was submitted after a year of the killing against Botol Chowdhury and eight others. Two years after that, the court ordered the trial in the case to begin in 2001.

However, the trial halted as one of the accused moved to High Court challenging the lower court order to begin the trial.

Later the trial of the case resumed following a High Court order in 2022, said the public prosecutor of the court.