May 17, 2003	Saturday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 14, 1424

DHAKA, May 16: A special tribunal on Wednesday sentenced 16 people to death for a grisly double murder at Sutrapur three years ago, in which the victims were hacked to pieces.

Judge Shahed Noor Uddin of the Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal ruled in a crowded courtroom that the convicts be hanged till death upon confirmation of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court.

The 16 were also found guilty of concealing evidence and each was awarded a seven-year imprisonment and a fine of Tk10,000 or, in default, six more months in jail.

The court also handed down life terms to three others for abetting the murders of Mohsin and Sayem. The three were also ordered to pay Tk2,000 each in fines or, in default, spend six more months in jail.