Kunio Hoshi murder case verdict Feb 28

Staff Correspondent, Rangpur: A special court in Rangpur has fixed February 28 to deliver the verdict in the sensational murder of Japanese citizen Kunio Hoshi.

Judge Naresh Chandra Sarkar fixed the date on Sunday after completion of deposition of the witnesses.

55 witnesses testified before the court.

Japanese citizen Kunio, who had been running a grass farm in Kaunia of the district, was shot dead at Alutari village under Sarai Union in Kaunia on October 3, 2015. Middle East-based terrorist group Islamic State claimed responsibility for the murder.

In July, last year, police submitted the chargesheet in which they indicted 8 members of terror outfit JMB in the case.

Five of them are in jail while two absconding, Saddam Hussain alias Rahul died in a 'gunbattle' with security agencies on Jan 5 while Nazrul Islam alias Bike Nazrul met the same fate early last year.

Another accused Ahsan Ullah Ansari alias Biplab is still on the run. He was a student of Statistics at Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur but has not been seen since January last year.

risingbd/RANGPUR/Feb 19, 2017/Nazrul Mridha/Augustin Sujan