A court in Cumilla has sentenced a father-in-law, mother-in-law and brother-in-law to life imprisonment for the murder of housewife Mariyam Begum in Nangalkot. Additional District and Sessions Judge Fourth Court Judge Md. Shamsul Alam delivered the verdict at 1pm on Sunday. Each convicted person was also fined Tk20,000, with an additional six months of rigorous imprisonment if the fine is not paid.

The court acquitted Mariyam’s husband, Abdul Matin, after the allegation against him was not proven. The three convicted defendants are her father-in-law Abdul Momin, mother-in-law Fatema Begum and brother-in-law Md. Nizam Uddin. They were present in the dock when the verdict was announced.

According to court sources and case records, Mariyam was strangled to death at her home in Chhafua village of Nangalkot on the night of September 24, 2005, following a family dispute. Her father, Md. Soleman, filed a murder case the next day. Police submitted the charge sheet on October 28, 2006, and the court heard testimony from 12 witnesses before finding the three defendants guilty. The prosecution lawyer and Mariyam’s relatives expressed satisfaction with the judgment.