Dhaka, May 31 (IANS): Six militants were on Tuesday awarded death sentence by a Dhaka court for organising a bank robbery last year in which eight people were killed.

The court found nine militants, affiliated with the banned outfits Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Ansarullah Bangla Team, guilty of murder and robbery aimed at raising funds for their operations, Xinhua news agency reported.

The court ordered the death penalty for six, life in prison for one and three-year jail terms for two others, it said.

At least 10 members of the outfits on April 21 last year robbed a branch of the state-run Bangladesh Commerce Bank in Ashulia.

They killed the manager of the bank to get the key to the vault before an alarm was raised over the loudspeaker from a nearby mosque.

The gang detonated a bomb as they fled, chased by customers and onlookers.

An angry mob later beat to death one of the robbers while they were fleeing.

On December 1 last year, Ashulia police submitted two chargesheets -- one for the killings and robbery, and the other for possessing explosives.