DHAKA, November 5, 2026- A Dhaka court has once again extended the deadline for submitting the investigation report in the 2012 murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi. On November 5, 2026, the scheduled date for the submission, the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) failed to present its probe findings. Consequently, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ariful Islam fixed December 9, 2026, as the new date for filing the report. With this order, the court has now deferred the submission of the investigation report for the 131st time.
The murder took place on the night of February 11, 2012, at the couple’s residence in West Rajabazar, Dhaka. Sagar Sarowar was serving as the news editor at Maasranga Television, while Meherun Runi was working as a senior reporter for ATN Bangla. Early the next morning, police recovered their stabbed bodies from the apartment. Following the recovery, Runi’s brother, Nousher Alam Roman, filed a homicide case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station.
The case currently lists eight individuals as accused Rafiqul Islam, Bakul Mia, Masum Mintu, Kamrul Islam alias Arun, Abu Sayeed, Enayet Ahmed, Palash Rudra Paul and Tanvir Rahman Khan. Among them, six remain in judicial custody. Tanvir Rahman Khan obtained bail, while Palash Rudra Paul, who was also granted bail, has since gone missing.
The investigation has undergone multiple transfers across different law enforcement entities over the past fourteen years. Initially handled by an officer of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station, the case was transferred four days later to the Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. After DB reported no breakthrough after more than two months, the High Court transferred the probe to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
On September 30, 2024, following a petition filed by the plaintiff, the High Court directed the formation of a high-level task force to take over the investigation. The PBI is currently leading the probe under this task force structure, but a conclusive report has yet to be submitted to the court.