Pasha called brothers Mohammad Ali alias Ribel and Ashfaq Hossain alias Jewel out of their residence and gunned them down in separate places.

The court of Metropolitan Additional Sessions Judge Shamsul Alam Khan acquitted Mahbubur Rahman, driver of the microbus used to pick up the victims from their residence.

Pasha was also fined Tk 50,000.

He has seven days to appeal to the High Court against the verdict.

The judge began to read out the highlights of the 56-page judgement at 11:45am in the crowded courtroom. Security blanketed the court premises during the delivery of the judgement.

On hearing the ruling, a resolute Pasha in the dock shouted, "Sir, I'll appeal to the higher court against your verdict."

The court handed down the judgement in 38 workdays after examining 17 of 29 prosecution witnesses.

After the delivery of the verdict, police took Pasha to Dhaka Central Jail.

Mahbub, who was on bail, also went to the court to hear the judgement.

Pasha called Ribel and Jewel out of their Mohammadpur Housing Estate residence with 30 minutes apart in the morning.

He shot Ribel dead in front of Raju Homeo Hall on Tajmahal Road and Jewel at Line-K on Kazi Nazrul Islam Street, both in Moham-madpur.

The father of the victims, Amzad Hossain, filed the case with the Mohammadpur Police Station on the day of the killings and police arrested Mahbub soon after the incidents.

The case was transferred to the Detective Branch (DB) of police the following day. The DB submitted the chargesheet to the court on June 27, 2001.

The court indicted Pasha on August 19, 2002 and fixed the date for delivering the verdict on completion of cross-examination of witnesses on June 25.

Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Abdullah Mahmud Hassan moved for the state while Advocate Syed Rezaur Rahman for the accused.

The defence lawyer said he would appeal to the High Court against the verdict.

VICTIMS' FAMILY HAPPY

The victims' family expressed happiness at 'the triumph of justice over heinous crime'.

"I am happy with the judgement," said Hanufa Begum, mother of Ribel and Jewel, breaking down in sobs on the court premises.

Her world has never stopped crying ever since the killing of her beloved sons.

"We'll be happy if the High Court upholds the judgement and the verdict is executed," said Hossain, father of the victims, in an emotion-choked voice.

He lauded the officials involved in the trial, including the judge, for the quick verdict in the case.

Poly, sister of the slain brothers, said she was happy as the killer was punished in the end.

The metropolitan public prosecutor, Abdullah Mahmud Hassan, thanked his colleagues for helping him in moving the case on behalf of the state despite threat from 'Kamal Pasha's henchmen'.