CHITTAGONG, March 17, 2025 (BSS) - A Chattogram court today sentenced a garment worker Md. Sakhawat Hossain, 29, to life term imprisonment twice under separate sections in a case of kidnapping and demanding ransom for a four-year-old child under city’s Patenga Thana 

In the same verdict, the court sentenced his wife Mosammat Kamala Begum to 14 years rigorous imprisonment. In addition, a total of three accused, including Sakhawat's mother and brother, have been acquitted as they were not proved guilty.

The court of Women and Child Repression Prevention Tribunal-7 Ferdouse Ara passed the order in Saima Akter abduction case.

The court also fined Kamala Begum with TK 20,000 in default she will suffer six month imprisonment.

The prosecution story, in brief, is that the accused Sakhawat Hossain was renting out Md. Sohel's house as a sublet in the Khejurtola area of Patenga Police Station in the city.

Sohel asked him to vacate the house when he could not pay the rent properly. On the evening of June 13, 2018, Sakhawat went to the landlord Sohel's house and took his four-year-old daughter Saima Akhter, promising to buy chips. Then he called on Sohel’s mobile phone and demanded a ransom of TK 10,000. The next day, Sohel filed a case with Patenga Thana.

After filing the case, the police rescued the baby girl Saima Akhter. Later, victim’s father filed an abduction case with the police station against the accused the next day.  

Police submitted charge sheet against five accused on September 30 in 2018 while the court framed charges on October 22 in 2020.

The court today examined a total of five prosecution witnesses out of 11 in the trial process and passed the verdict in absence of the accused.