Bagerhat: A court yesterday sentenced 10 forest robbers to life imprisonment each in a case filed with Sharankhola police station in 2009 for possessing firearms, reports UNB. The convicts are Sheikh Omar Faruque alias Master, Ali, Oli alias Abbas, M Jahangir Sheikh, Rafique, Mati Shikdar alias Mati, Abdur Rashid Akon alias Kala Majhi, Ripon Moktar, Abdul Barek and Qamrul Islam Nipu. They hail from different villages of Bagerhat, Barguna and Khulna district. After examining the records and witnesses, Judge of the Bagerhat Special Tribunal-2 Mohammad Mohiduzzaman handed down the verdict. According to the prosecution, a team of Detective Branch of police conducted a drive at Kathamara of the Sundarbans under Sharankhola upazila on January 8 in 2009 to arrest forest robbers. Sensing the presence of the law enforcers, they opened fire on the detectives, triggering a gunfight. At one stage, the DB team arrested five robbers, including ‘Jihad Bahini’ chief Jihad, from the spot. The law enforcers also recovered 11 firearms, several sharp weapons and bullets from there. Later, sub-inspector of Bagerhat DB police Abu Bakar filed a case against 14 people with Sharankhola Police Station. Detective Branch of police SI Imam Uddin, also investigation of the case, submitted chargesheet against 11 people, including Jihad, to a court on February 25 in 2009. On March 17, 2012, Jihad was killed in a ‘gunfight’ with members of Rapid Action Battalion at Morabhola in Sharankhola upazila.