The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has denied reports that documents related to the Sagar-Runi murder case kept under Detective Branch (DB) custody were partially damaged by fire.

DMP’s Deputy Commissioner of Media and Public Relations Muhammad Tabibur Rahman confirmed the matter on Tuesday (April 22) afternoon.

He said reports in various print and electronic media claiming that case files were burnt in a fire at DB's office are not true.

On February 11, 2012, journalist couple Sagar Sarowar, news editor at Maasranga Television, and Meherun Runi, senior reporter at ATN Bangla, were brutally murdered at their rented apartment in Dhaka’s West Rajabazar. Their bodies were found the next morning with multiple injuries.

Runi’s brother Nausher Alam Roman filed a murder case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station the next day. Initially, an officer from that station investigated the case. On February 16 the same year, the investigation was handed over to DB’s Inspector Md Rabiul Alam.

Two months later, following a High Court order, the case was transferred to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). However, RAB has not submitted any final report since then.

On September 30 last year, the High Court removed RAB from the investigation and directed the formation of a high-level taskforce under the Home Ministry. The court also asked the taskforce to submit a report by April 6.

Following the directive, the Home Ministry formed a four-member taskforce led by the Additional Inspector General of Police and the chief of the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI).

BDST: 1540 HRS, April 22, 2025
MSK