Man given life sentence for murdering Bangladeshi national

A life sentence was handed down on Tuesday to the man convicted of killing 22-year-old Bangladeshi national Shahruar Ahmed Emon in June, with the man having been convicted of premeditated murder, among a litany of other offences related to the crime. The court heard how the man, who is also 22 years old, met Emon aboard a bus on June 7, and that the pair had exchanged contact information, though it was also heard that they may have engaged in an argument while on the bus. Then, on June 9, the man bought a knife, before contacting his victim on June 11 and telling him that he had found a job which paid a salary of €50 per day. According to Emon’s roommate, he had said that he would be moving to a new workplace, a chicken production factory, in the Larnaca district village of Kofinou, but did not provide any further information. The police said that Emon’s father had received a text message on the same day which read “please save me, otherwise they will kill me”. Perpetrator demanded €35,000 from Emon’s father A few minutes later, Emon’s father received more text messages, demanding the payment of €35,000 by June 14, and threatening that if the payment was not received, his son’s kidney would be removed and sold. Emon’s father then contacted his roommates and replied to the message, saying that he was “trying to understand the situation and respond to your request”, and also begging the sender not to harm his son. Then, at 11.37pm on the same day, the sender declared that if he did not receive €10,000 by June 14, he would remove Emon’s kidney. This was the last message the father received. Emon had been due to travel to his country of origin on June 16, after having applied to do so through the government’s voluntary returns programme, but then failed to present himself at Larnaca airport. After the 22-year-old was arrested, it was found that he had led Emon towards an isolated area near Kofinou’s slaughterhouse, and attacked him with a knife, before then strangling him. He then dragged Emon to another location and strangled him again, before covering his body in straw and returning to his house, where he washed his hands and shoes. Emon’s body was later found at the location at which it was left.