Sha Alom Mia, 29-year-old, Bangladeshi national, charged in connection with the murder of Dhangethi entrepreneur Mahmood Aboobakuru has pleaded not guilty to the charges raised against him.

Sha Alom denied the charges during the hearing held at the High Court on Tuesday to verify the verdict brought on him by the Criminal Court, on 27 February, 2022.

As such, the Criminal Court ruled that Sha Alom was guilty of deliberate murder and abuse of a human corpse.

During the hearing held on January 19, the Sha Alom pled guilty to the charges and his attorney revealed that the documents, except for the confidential ones have now been received. State prosecutors had earlier sought from the judges’ bench to maintain the confidentiality of some evidences.

The defendant was briefed on the consequences that will follow if he pleads guilty to the charges.

The judge explained the charges raised against Alom in detail as well as why he is being charged. As such, if the charge is proven in court, Alom will face a death penalty. Further, if the charge of abuse of a human corpse is proven at court, Alom faces a sentence of two months and 12 days in prison.

Once a ruling is declared with regards to a murder case, the case is sent to the High Court to verify the verdict made by the lower court. Tuesday's hearing was the first of these hearings.

During the hearing, the murder suspect said that his lawyer and the translator told him to plead guilty of the charges raised against him. He said that they both agreed to help deport him out of the country, if he agreed to the charges.

Sha Alom went on to say that he did not commit the crime.

With Sha Alom pleading not guilty of the charges raised against him, the judges bench gave him the opportunity to hire a lawyer.

State prosecutors revealed that Alom used a knife and two sharpened iron rods to murder the local man and despite his confession, the state requested to proceed with the case by submitting evidence linked to a murder.

Mahmood’s family had requested for the court to slap Alom with a death penalty, with which his plea deal was rejected.

The body of the 57-year-old man was found suspended inside a well, tied up and stuffed inside a sack on 14 October 2021. His body also had visible signs of torture.