A Dhaka court has sentenced Md. Shamsul Haque Jewel to death for murdering his stepmother, Saleha Begum, nearly two decades ago in the capital’s Kafrul area. The verdict was delivered by Judge Md. Zahidul Islam of the 13th Additional Metropolitan Sessions Court on Tuesday. Jewel, who remains absconding, was also fined Tk 50,000, and an arrest warrant was issued against him. The court ordered that the death sentence be executed by hanging, subject to approval by the High Court Division.

According to the case details, Jewel killed his stepmother on the night of September 18, 2005, after she refused to give him money for traveling abroad. Witnesses, including the victim’s children, testified that they saw Jewel leaving the house with a machete after the attack. Saleha Begum was taken to a local clinic and later to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where she was declared dead. Her husband, Md. A. Haque, filed a murder case the following day, and police submitted the charge sheet in March 2006 after investigation.

The court heard testimonies from 14 prosecution witnesses before delivering the judgment, concluding a legal process that lasted nearly 20 years.