DHAKA, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- A court in Bangladesh's northwestern Rangpure district on Tuesday awarded death sentences to five militants for killing a Japanese national in October 2015.

At the court about 300 km away of capital Dhaka, Special Trial Tribunal Judge Naresh Chandra Sarker handed down the verdict in presence of four of the accused. One of the death row convict is on the run.

All five people are affiliated with the banned outfit group Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).

The court, however, acquitted one accused in the case as allegations brought against him was not proved.

Japanese national Hoshi Kunio, 66, was gunned down on Oct. 3, 2015 by three unidentified assailants as he was making his way on a rickshaw to visit his grass farm in Rangpur.

The Islamic State (IS) group had claimed responsibility for the murder, but Bangladesh rejected the claim and rather blamed homegrown terror group JMB for the terror attack, which came five days after the murder of an Italian, identified as Tavela Ceaser in Dhaka.

IS had also claimed the killing of the Italian national.