Suspects sentenced in 2011 murder of migrant worker

Three suspects charged in the 2011 murder of a migrant worker in Fuvahmulah City have been sentenced to prison by the Criminal Court.

Bangladeshi national, Shareeful was killed at approximately 10:25 pm on June 28, 2011.

Three other Bangladeshi nationals; Shareef, MD Salaam and Alaal were charged for his murder. Shareef and MD Salaam were charged with murder, and Alaal was charged as an accomplice to murder.

The Criminal Court issued its verdict in the case last Sunday, July 14.

Shareef and MD Salaam were sentenced to 20 years in prison, and Alaal was sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison.

Criminal Court’s ruling in the case details the murder.

Shareeful was killed at the room where Alaal resided in. After he was taken to the room, Shareef and MD Salaam grabbed at his throat and pushed his down to the floor. They hit Shareeful on the chest with their knees, strangled him using a USB cord, slammed his head against the floor, and snapped his neck with their bare hands.

Alaal, at the instructions of Shareef and MD Salaam, used his hands to check whether Shareeful was still breathing, put Shareeful’s body on Shareef’s shoulder and assisted Shareef and MD Salaam in the disposal of the body.

The court found them guilty based on their own admissions to investigators, the video of the reenactment of the murder they played in the presence of investigators, witness testimony, DNA analysis, crime scene analysis, and medico-legal record of the victim.

The delay in sentencing has been due to the years spent by Criminal Court, via the Maldivian embassy in Bangladesh, to locate the victim’s next of kin. The Foreign Ministry later informed the court of the failure of the attempts to find his next of kin.