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DHAKA: The High Court today directed a high-powered taskforce to complete its investigation into the murders of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi and submit its report by April 29, 2027.
The court also ordered taskforce chief and International Crimes Tribunal prosecutor Tanvir Hasan Zoha to appear before it on that day with all relevant documents.
A High Court division bench comprising Justice Sikder Mahmudur Razi and Justice Fatema Anwar passed the order this noon.
Attorney General Barrister Md Ruhul Quddus Kazal represented the state, while Advocate Mohammad Shishir Manir appeared for the victim’s family.
Speaking to reporters after the hearing, the attorney general said the state had submitted a 27-page progress report prepared by the taskforce.
He said the police officials who had handled the investigation in 2012 could not be traced, making it difficult to verify what evidence had been collected at the time.
Kazal said the present government did not want to protect anyone or conceal information, adding that the objective was to uncover the facts and identify those responsible through a fair investigation.
According to the taskforce report, previous investigators recorded statements from 167 witnesses, while 90 witnesses were questioned during the tenure of the current investigation officer. Statements from 24 of those witnesses were recorded.
The report said scientific examinations found that both Sagar and Runi had been murdered. Investigators found no evidence suggesting that one spouse had killed the other before committing suicide over family or marital disputes.
However, the investigation had yet to establish whether the killings were linked to the couple’s journalistic work.
Discussions with senior officials and colleagues at Sagar’s workplace, Maasranga Television, revealed no professional enmity or dispute involving him, the report said.
Investigators also found no link between the killings and Summit Group. Nor did they find evidence that the murders stemmed from disputes over money or land. No information was found about loans or business transactions involving the couple.
The report said previous investigators had conducted extensive covert and overt inquiries into 145 suspects arrested in 130 theft and robbery cases filed with police stations in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Tejgaon, Mohammadpur, Dhanmondi and Kalabagan.
During the current investigation, the names and addresses of 42 suspects were checked through the Police Clearance and Police Record (PCPR) system. Investigators also sought assistance from intelligence agencies, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission and other government bodies, while examining the movements, activities and backgrounds of several suspects.
Despite these efforts, the motive behind the killings and the identities of those responsible remain unknown, the report said.
The taskforce, comprising members from the Police Bureau of Investigation, Criminal Investigation Department, Police Headquarters and Rapid Action Battalion, has also been unable to recover a mobile phone and two laptops taken during the killings.
Investigators have yet to question former Inspector General of Police Hasan Mahmud Khandker, former Dhaka Metropolitan Police Detective Branch spokesperson Monirul Islam, former RAB director general Mukhlesur Rahman and former home minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, according to the report.
Journalist Rumi Noman was questioned and his statement recorded, while efforts to question several other individuals were continuing. The report said questioning the four former officials could provide important information or leads.
It further said International Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam and prosecutor Tanvir Hasan Zoha had informed the taskforce that their preliminary investigation had identified possible links involving former army officer Ziaul Ahsan and media personality Rokeya Prachy in connection with the murders.
The prosecutors were examining the possible links through further investigation and verification and would provide their findings to the PBI investigation officer after completing the preliminary inquiry, the report said. The reported links remain under investigation.
Sagar and Runi were murdered at their rented apartment in West Rajabazar in the capital on February 11, 2012, in the presence of their four-year-old son, Mahir Sarwar Megh. Following the incident, Runi’s brother, Nawser Alam, filed a case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police Detective Branch initially investigated the case before it was transferred to RAB. The elite force failed to submit a final investigation report despite receiving repeated extensions over the years.
On September 30, 2024, the High Court directed the formation of a high-powered taskforce under the Ministry of Home Affairs to investigate the case, removing RAB from the probe.
The government subsequently formed a four-member taskforce through a Home Ministry notification on October 23, 2024, giving it six months to investigate the double murder and submit its findings.
