Sagar-Runi murder probe report deferred for 131st Time

A Dhaka court has again deferred the submission of the investigation report in the murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi, setting December 9 as the next date.

On Thursday (November 5), Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Arifur Rahman fixed the date as the investigation officer failed to submit the report.

The report submission deadline has now been deferred for the 131st time in the sensational murder case.

Eight people, including Runi's friend Tanvir Rahman, are accused in the case. The other accused are house security guard Enam Ahmed alias Humayun Kabir, Rafiqul Islam, Bakul Mia, Mintu alias Bargira Mintu alias Masum Mintu, Kamrul Hasan Arun, Palash Rudra Pal and Abu Sayed. Although several accused have been remanded multiple times, none has reportedly made a confessional statement.

On the night of February 11, 2012, Sagar, news editor of Maasranga Television, and Runi, a senior reporter at ATN Bangla, were brutally murdered at their rented apartment in West Rajabazar, Dhaka. Their bodies were recovered the following morning.

Runi's brother, Nowsher Alam Roman, filed a murder case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station. The investigation was initially assigned to a police sub-inspector before being transferred to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Detective Branch (DB) four days later.

After the DB failed to solve the case despite more than two months of investigation, the High Court transferred the investigation to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on April 18, 2012.

On September 30 last year, the High Court ordered the formation of a high-powered task force comprising experienced investigators from different law enforcement agencies and directed it to complete the investigation within six months. It also ordered the removal of RAB, now renamed SRB, from the investigation.

Following the order, the Public Security Division of the Home Ministry issued a notification on October 17, forming a four-member task force headed by the chief of the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI).