A Cox’s Bazar court has sentenced four people to death for the murder of Bangladesh Army Lieutenant Tanzim Sarwar, who was killed during a robbery in Chakaria. The verdict was delivered by Additional District and Sessions Judge Abul Monsur Siddique on Wednesday afternoon. Five others were given life imprisonment, and four received ten-year prison terms, while five of the eighteen accused were acquitted. Among those sentenced to death, Morshed Alam remains absconding.

According to court sources, the prosecution presented 52 witnesses in the murder case and 46 in the arms case, while the defense produced seven witnesses. The prosecution stated that the verdict was delivered impartially after reviewing all testimonies and arguments. The two cases were filed following the killing on September 23, 2024, when Lieutenant Sarwar was stabbed to death by robbers during an anti-robbery operation in Chakaria’s Purba Maizpara area.

Case investigations led to charge sheets being filed in January 2025, naming 18 accused. Six of them remained fugitives until the verdict. Arrest warrants and property seizure orders had been issued earlier against the absconding suspects.