A Chattogram court has sentenced Md. Abir Mia to death and fined him 100,000 taka for the murder of five-year-old Alina Islam Ayat. The verdict was delivered on Wednesday by Judge Muhammad Ali Akkas of the Sixth Additional Sessions Judge Court. According to the prosecution, 33 witnesses testified in the case, and the state expressed satisfaction with the maximum punishment handed down to the main accused.

The case originated from the disappearance of Ayat, daughter of Sohel Rana, from the Bandar Tila area under EPZ Police Station on November 15, 2022. Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) found that Abir, a tenant known to the family, kidnapped the child for ransom and later killed her by suffocation when his plan failed. He dismembered the body and disposed of the parts near the sea and a canal. Abir confessed to the crime in court on November 25, 2022.

PBI inspector Manoj Dey submitted the charge sheet on October 10, 2023, naming Abir and a 17-year-old accomplice. The juvenile’s trial is ongoing in the children’s court, while Abir remains in prison.