Sagar-Runi murder: Submission of probe report deferred for 98th time

A Dhaka court has fixed June 22 for submission of the probe report in a case filed over the killing of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi in February 2012.

With this, the deadline for submission of probe report in the case deferred for the 98th time.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Rashidul Alam passed the order on Monday as RAB Additional Superintendent of Police Khondoker Md Shafiqul Alam, also the investigation officer of the case, failed to submit the report on Monday, court sources said.

On April 9 this year, the same court asked RAB to submit the probe report by May 22.

Earlier, two separate courts expressed dissatisfaction over the probe, and the investigators’ failure to unearth the motive behind the murders and arrest the real culprits.

Sagar Sarowar, news editor Maasranga Television, and his wife Meherun Runi, senior reporter ATN Bangla, were found dead at their rented apartment in the capital’s West Rajabazar area on February 11, 2012.

Nousher Ali Roman, brother of Runi, filed a case with the Sher-e-Banglanagar police station on the following day.

Their only four-year-old son Mahir Sarowar Megh was present at the apartment at the time of the murder.

Runi’s brother Nousher Alam lodged the murder case with the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station on the following day. Four days later, the investigation was handed over to Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s (DMP) Detective Branch (DB).

On 18 April 2012, 62 days after they got the investigative duty, DB accepted failure. The court then instructed RAB to investigate the case.