SAGAR-RUNI MURDER RAB fails to detect killers in 5 years

The Rapid Action Battalion investigators failed to identify the suspected killers of journalist couple Sagar Sarwar and Meherun Runi into five years of the murders in their bedroom, in the capital.
Frustrated family members said they are being deprived of justice.
The RAB investigators, however, said they were still working and looking into all possible ways to detect the motive and identify the perpetrators.
The investigators had said that they would be able to identify the attackers by analyzing DNA profiles but it did not match with the suspects. 
Meanwhile, the home minister, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, told reporters at a function in the capital’s Uttara on Thursday that he was not aware of any developments of the investigation.
He said RAB is investigating the double murder and that the probing is underway.
Dwelling over home minister’s remarks, Runi’s brother Nowsher Alam Roman, who filed the murder case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police, expressed his frustration. He said he wonders if the minister is aware that the investigators extended deadlines nearly 50 times to end their investigation.
‘It is also disappointing that the elite force took such a long time to continue investigation…now a question arises if the authorities are willing to ensure justice, or not’ Nowsher said. 
A metropolitan magistrate court in Dhaka on Wednesday asked the investigation officer to submit the progress report on the journalist-couple killings by March 21.
Metropolitan magistrate Mazharul Islam passed the order as the case investigator, Mahiuddin Ahmed, an assistant director of Rapid Action Battalion, failed to submit any probe report even after expiry of many deadlines, on Wednesday. 
Five subsequent investigation officers extended investigation for 46 times as endorsed by the court to complete the probe. 
‘We are sincerely investigating into the case. I am happy with my investigation. I need more time,’ said Mahiuddin. 
Private Maasranga Television’s news editor Sagar Sarwar and his wife ATN Bangla’s senior reporter Meherun Runi were stabbed to death in their bedroom at an apartment of Pashchim Rajabazar in Dhaka on February 11, 2012.
Both the journalists were stabbed abruptly. Sarwar’s hands were tied round his back.
The investigation agencies, especially the battalion, so far submitted five reports on the progress of investigation with ‘no clue.’
The battalion so far interrogated nearly 160 people, including 27 journalists, case documents show.
They arrested eight suspects at times but could neither identify the killers nor establish the motive.
The battalion arrested Abu Sayeed, Bakul Mia Rafiqul Islam and Mintu Islam, who were earlier detained in the physician Narayan Chandra Dutta Nitai murder case.
The other arrested were security guards of the house Rudra Palash and Enamul Haque alias Humayun Kabir, driver Kamrul Hasan Arun and the slain journalists’ friend Tanvir Rahman. Six of the arrested have been in jail.
Tanvir was granted bail by the High Court on December 2, 2014.
After visiting the crime scene, the then home minister Sahara Khatun had told reporters that the law enforcers were ordered to find out and arrest the killers in 48 hours.
Just as the 48-hour timeframe ended, then inspector general of police Hassan Mahmood Khandkar had claimed that ‘substantial progress’ had been made in the investigation and assured all of positive news anytime.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesperson Monirul Islam on February 16, 2012 had told the media that some suspects were under ‘close watch.’
On April 18, 2012, the High Court had asked the Inspector General of Police to handover charge of probing the journalist couple murder case to Rapid Action Battalion. 
The battalion was given the charge of investigation by the High Court on April 18, 2012 after the Detective Branch of police declared their failure in the investigation.
In the report, the investigation officer said they were now examining the DNA profiles and had sent a letter to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission asking it to recover the stolen laptop of the journalist couple.
The investigators also interrogated Rudra Palash and Humayun in their custody for two days in September 2014. But the two made no confessions. 

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