Calcutta, June 11: Five extortionists were sentenced to life in jail today for killing a 24-year-old from Howrah who had raised his voice against them.

Joy Mukherjee (in picture), a resident of Dharsa in Jagachha and an agent of a private bank, was murdered on the night of October 19, 2005.

Over 50 residents of Dharsa and its neighbourhood gathered at the fast-track court in Howrah as Amit Koley alias Apa, Kanu Choudhury alias Chotka, Rajib Dutta, Arup Roy and Amit Dhar alias Manu were brought in a police jeep.

The crowd started celebrating after magistrate Sandip Roy Choudhury pronounced the verdict.

Joy’s father Panchanan, a home guard with Shibpur traffic police, and mother Swapna were also in the court. “I feel relieved today that the killers of my only son have been given life imprisonment,” Panchanan said.