Abir Ali Sentenced to Death in Ayat Murder Case

A Chattogram court on Wednesday sentenced Md Abir Ali to death for abducting and murdering five-year-old Alina Islam Ayat, whose body he later dismembered into six pieces.

The court also fined the convict Tk 100,000.

The verdict was delivered by Judge Muhammad Ali Akkas of the Sixth Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court in Chattogram. Abir was present in the courtroom when the judgment was pronounced.

Assistant Public Prosecutor Mohammad Raihanul Wazed Chowdhury said the court found the charges proven beyond reasonable doubt based on the accused's confessional statement, the inquest and autopsy reports, recovered evidence, and witness testimonies. In addition to the death sentence and fine, the court ordered one year of rigorous imprisonment if the fine remains unpaid.

According to the prosecution, the court described the crime as premeditated, heinous, and inhumane, noting that it had the potential to create fear and insecurity in society. The judgment also observed that the accused appeared to have been influenced by crime-related television programmes.

State prosecutor Jalal Uddin said 33 witnesses testified during the trial before the court delivered its verdict after concluding hearings and arguments.

Court and police records show that Ayat, the daughter of Sohel Rana of the Bandar Tila area under Chattogram's EPZ Police Station, went missing on November 15, 2022. A general diary was filed with police, and the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) later launched a probe at the family's request.

Investigators found that Abir, who lived as a tenant in the family's residence, had abducted and killed the child. After his arrest on November 25, 2022, he confessed to the crime before a court.

According to the PBI, Ayat was kidnapped for ransom. When the plan failed, she was murdered, and her dismembered body parts were dumped near the seashore and in a canal.

On October 10, 2023, then PBI Inspector Monoj De submitted the charge sheet against Abir and a 17-year-old accomplice. As the second accused was a minor at the time of the incident, his trial is being conducted separately in a juvenile court.