Netrakona: A court in Netrakona on Tuesday convicted five siblings and sentenced them to life term imprisonment for killing a man in 1998.

The convicts are Tahmina alias Taknama, Dulal, Haidar, Chan Mia and Raihan–sons and daughter of late Abdul Mannaf of Boraigram upazila.

Of them, Tahmina, Dulal and Haider were tried in absentia.

The court also fined them Tk 20,000 each, in default, to suffer two years more in rigorous imprisonment.

According to the prosecution, Akhtar Ali, 30, son of Meser Ali of Panchgaon village in Kalmakanda upazila had long been at loggerheads with his neighbour Abdus Salam over a plot of land.

As a sequel to the enmity, Salam’s followers along with the convicts attacked Ahktar’s house on 25 November 1998 and killed him.

Aruna Khatun, younger sister of Ahktar Ali, filed a case in this connection the following day.

Police submitted a chargesheet against 18 people on 12 April 1999.

After examining records and eight witnesses, Additional District and Sessions Judge Abdul Hamid passed the order acquitting 13 others as allegation brought against them could not be proved.