A Dhaka court on Sunday formally framed charges accusing 21 people in the murder case of scrap trader Lal Chand, alias Md Sohag, near Sir Salimullah Medical College and Hospital, widely known as Mitford Hospital, in Old Dhaka.
Acting Judge Mosaddek Minhaz of the Dhaka First Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court, formally initiate the trial and fixed 19 July for recording prosecution witnesses, said court bench assistant ASM Shahadat Ali.
The accused facing trial are- Md Mahmud Hasan Mahin alias Mahmudul Hasan (Mohin), Md Tarek Rahman Robin, Md Titon Gazi, Md Alamgir, Md Monir alias Lamba Monir, Md Sajib Bepari, Md Nanu Kazi, Md Rizwan Uddin alias Abhijit Basu, Md Zahirul Islam, Sagar, Md Ruman Bepari, Md Abir Hossain, Md Parvez, Md Zahirul alias Jalil, Md Imran, Md Sharafat alias Shafiul Islam, Md Ziauddin Rajib, Md Hossain Chowkidar, Md Sarwar Hossain Titu, Md Mangal Mia alias Monir Hossain, and Apu Das.
Among accused, the first 10 are in jail, the next three are on bail granted by the High Court, while the remaining eight are absconding.
According to the case documents, Sohag, 39, son of Yusuf Ali Hawlader of Purba Namabari village under Keraniganj Model Police Station, had been running a scrap business on Rajani Ghosh Lane in the Mitford area for many years.
He was brutally hacked and repeatedly struck with stones by a group of attackers on Rajani Ghosh Lane near the Mitford Hospital on 9 July 2025.
His elder sister, Manjuara Begum, filed a murder case with Kotwali Police Station, naming 19 people as accused and implicating another 15 to 20 unidentified individuals on the following day.
The then officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station, Moniruzzaman, submitted the first charge sheet against 21 accused on 8 December last year, while recommending the discharge of 10 others due to insufficient evidence.
However, the court found flaws in the investigation and ordered a fresh probe. Inspector Shah Md Faisal Ahmed of Kotwali Police Station submitted a supplementary charge sheet on 10 May this year, again accusing the same 21 individuals.
FP/A
