A Dhaka court on Sunday deferred the submission of the investigation report in the Sagar Sarowar–Meherun Runi murder case for the 122nd time, setting a new deadline of January 5, 2026.

The report was due to be filed on November 30, but the investigating officer, Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) Additional Superintendent of Police Md. Azizul Haque, failed to submit it.

Thirteen years after the brutal killings, the case remains unresolved. Journalists Sagar Sarowar, news editor at Maasranga Television, and Meherun Runi, senior reporter at ATN Bangla, were stabbed to death in their rented flat in West Rajabazar, Dhaka, on the night of February 11, 2012. Their bodies were found the next morning.

Runi’s brother, Nowsher Alam Roman, filed the case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station. The initial investigation by local police was soon transferred to the Detective Branch (DB), which failed to make headway within two months. Following a High Court order, the probe was handed to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on April 18, 2012.

In a major shift, the High Court directed on September 30, 2024 that RAB be removed from the investigation and replaced with a high-powered task force of seasoned investigators from multiple agencies. The Home Ministry subsequently formed a four-member team led by the PBI chief and granted it six months to conclude the probe.

Despite this, no final report has been submitted. Eight suspects remain accused: Tanvir Rahman (a friend of Runi), security guard Enam Ahmed alias Humayun Kabir, Rafiqul Islam, Bokul Mia, Mintoo (also known as Bargira Mintoo or Masum Mintoo), Kamrul Hasan Arun, Palash Rudro Pal, and Abu Sayeed. All have been repeatedly remanded, but none have made confessional statements.

The repeated delays have drawn widespread public frustration and raised serious questions about the effectiveness and transparency of the investigation into one of Bangladesh’s most prominent unsolved murders.