Sylhet: A court here on Thursday upheld the 14 years imprisonment of industrialist Ragib Ali and 16 years imprisonment of his son, daughter and two others each in a case filed for forging legal papers and grabbing the endowed land of Tarapur Tea Estate in Sylhet.

Judge Dilip Kumar Bhoumik of Sylhet Special Sessions Judges Court passed the order after hearing the appeal of the convicts, reports the UNB.

Earlier on February 2, 2017, Sylhet Chief Metropolitan Magistrate sentenced Ragib Ali to 14 years and 16 years imprisonment to each of his son, daughter and two others in the case.

Besides, the court acquitted Sebayet Pankaj Kumar Gupto.

The other convicts are Ragib’s son Abdul Hye, daughter Rozina Qaudir, son-in-law Abdul Qaudir and a relative Dewan Moshtaque Majid.

Among them, his daughter and son-in-law are still on the run.

On 25 August, 1999, the then parliamentary watchdog on land affairs found that Tarapur Tea Estate grabbed a vast area of an endowment property and set up several establishments on the land illegally.

Later, the subcommittee of the parliamentary watchdog recommended for taking legal action against the illegal occupants.

SM Abdul Hye, the land commissioner of Sylhet Sadar, filed two cases against six people, including Ragib Ali, with Sylhet Kotwali Police Station on 27 September, 2005.

One of the cases was filed for grabbing endowment property of Tarapur Tea Estate after fabricating document of the Ministry of Land against Ragib and his son Hye and another for misappropriating Tk 1,000 crore of the government.

On 19 January last, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court asked the authorities concerned to reclaim Tarapur Tea Estate. The SC also ordered reinvestigation into the cases although police submitted a final report disposing of the case.

Following the SC order, Sylhet Metropolitan Magistrate court ordered the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to investigate the cases again. On 10 July, the PBI submitted a report accusing Ragib Ali and his son Hye.

Ragib Ali and his family members fled to India hours after the arrest warrants were issued against them after police submitted the chargesheets in the two cases to Sylhet Metropolitan Magistrate Court on July 10 in 2016.

On 10 August last, a court here issued warrants for the arrest of six people in the two cases.

Indian immigration police arrested him from Karimganj district of Assam for an illegal stay on 24 November last and a court sent him to jail while Abdu Hye was arrested from Jakiganj on 12 November.