Murder convicts await fate on Oct. 29

Manama

Two appellants convicted of murdering a man for BD50 of unpaid rent and left his body stuffed inside a suitcase at a construction site will learn their fate on October 29. The High Criminal Court earlier slapped them with the death penalty each for killing Bangladeshi national Haris Kanu Miah.  

 The decomposed body of Miah was found buried under cement and rocks at the under-construction Al Louzy housing project in Hamad Town on August 3 last year.  Miah was reported missing on June 16, 2014 and an investigation was underway. It led to the arrest of the two men- a 29-year-old labourer and a 26-year-old cleaner, both are Bangladeshi citizens.   

The duo told prosecutors that Miah had been sharing a room with them for three months and owed them the money.

Forensic report showed that the victim was trussed up and gagged with cloth and duct tape before beating him up to death. The defendants stole his mobile phone and wallet before stuffing his body in a suitcase and buried it on June 14. The body was discovered after a passer-by noticed foul smell.

A 35-year-old Indian pick-up driver told prosecutors earlier that he had given the convicts a free ride on the day of the incident.

“They stopped me in Manama and asked me to drop them in Demistan," he said in his statement to prosecutors. "They had a suitcase, which was tied with a yellow rope covered with duct tape and cloth. I later identified them and the suitcase in the police station.”

Both the defendants were convicted of premeditated murder, assault and theft before the High Criminal Court.