Five years, 3 agencies and 48 dates later...
Five years, three agencies and 48 dates later, the current investigation agency, Rapid Action Battalion, yesterday received another month and a half to submit its probe report of the Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi murder case.
Metropolitan Magistrate Md Khurshid Alam directed Rab to submit its probe report on May 2 after scrutinising a “progress report” submitted by the elite force over the murder of the journalist couple.
The Rab assumed responsibility of the investigation of the dual murder on April 18, 2012. Prior to yesterday's date, the three agencies -- the Rab, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police and the detective branch -- took 48 dates for submitting their investigation reports.
In compliance with a February 9 order of a Dhaka court, the Rab yesterday submitted a “progress report” of the investigation.
The court had directed the Rab to submit the “progress report” by yesterday as Rab Assistant Director Wares Ali Miah, the investigation officer, failed to submit any report on February 9.
In yesterday's report, the IO said he had interrogated a section of journalists about the murder as the victims were media personalities. Moreover, eight persons, who were arrested in connection with the killing, were intensively interrogated, the IO said, adding that they were trying to identify two male suspects involved with the killing.
In 2015, Rab had submitted almost a similar progress report to this court, court sources said.
On February 11, 2012, Runi, senior reporter of private TV channel ATN Bangla, and her husband Sagar Sarowar, news editor of another TV station Maasranga, were murdered. Their only son, Megh was at home at the time.
After investigation by Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police and the detectives, Rab started probing the murders on April 18, 2012.
Rab later claimed that it got reports of the DNA tests of the 21 suspects and evidence samples collected from the scene, but these were not matched.
However, the reports confirmed the presence of two unknown men during the murder, the force claimed.
At least eight people including Rafiqul Islam, Bakul Miah, Masum Mintu, Kamrul Hasan alias Arun, Abu Sayeed, two security guards of the couple's house Palash Rudra Paul and Enamul Hoque and the couple's “family friend” Tanveer Rahman had been arrested.
Tanveer was released on bail later but the others are still in jail.
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