A Dhaka court has set 22 July 2026 as the new deadline for submitting the investigation report in the high-profile murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi.
The directive came after the investigation officer failed to submit the report on Thursday, marking yet another delay in a case that has remained unresolved for years. This is the 127th time the deadline for the probe report has been extended.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ariful Islam fixed the new date, according to Sub-Inspector Rafiqul Islam Russell, officer of the court’s General Registration Branch for Mirpur Model Police Station.
The tragic incident dates back to 11 February 2012, when the journalist couple was killed at their rented residence in West Rajabazar, Dhaka. The murder took place in the presence of their four-year-old son Mahir Sarwar Megh. The case was filed by Runi’s brother Nawser Alam with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station.
At the initial stage, the investigation was handled by the Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. It was later handed over to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), which continued the probe for years but repeatedly failed to submit a final report despite securing 111 extensions over more than a decade.
Following prolonged delays, the High Court intervened and on 30 September 2024 ordered the Ministry of Home Affairs to form a high-powered task force to investigate the case, removing RAB from the probe.
In compliance with the order, the Home Ministry formed a four-member task force on 23 October 2024, assigning it the responsibility to investigate the double murder and submit a report within six months.
However, due to further delays, the High Court later extended the task force’s deadline on 26 April 2026, granting another six months to complete the investigation and file its findings.
Despite repeated extensions and multiple agencies handling the case over the years, the investigation remains incomplete, with the latest court order pushing the submission date further to 22 July.
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