Dhaka, March 8 -- A Dhaka court has sentenced three men to two and a half years in prison each for the brutal killing of 20 dogs in Dhalpur of the capital.

Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Zakir Hossain delivered the verdict on Sunday, convicting the accused, Abul Khayer, Apu, and Manik, identified with a single name, under the Animal Welfare Act, 2019.

Saim Uddin, the court's bench assistant, confirmed that the defendants were sentenced under two separate sections of the law.

Under Section 16(b), they received two years of simple imprisonment and a Tk 1,000 fine.

Additionally, under Section 16(a), they were handed six months of imprisonment and another Tk 1,000 fine.

As the sentences will run concurrently, the convicts...