Staff Correspondent

A high-powered task force formed by the Ministry of Home Affairs to probe the sensational murder of journalist couple Sagar Sarwar and Meherun Runi will interrogate former chief reporter and anchor of Ekattor TV Farzana Rupa in the case.

Regarding the matter, Investigating Officer (IO) and PBI Additional Superintendent of Police Azizul Hauqe, in his plea, said there is a possibility of getting valuable information by interrogating Rupa.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate MA Azharul Islam last week accepted a prosecution plea in this regard, allowing the task force to interrogate the journalist in this case.

"Farzana Rupa at the time used to work in ATN Bangla with victim Meherun Runi. They were very close to each other and were family friends. Rupa also made some reports on television about the murder. There is a high chance of getting valuable information by interrogating her," the IO told BSS on Tuesday.

The journalist couple was brutally murdered in their rented flat in the city's West Rajabazar on 11 February 2012, in the presence of their four-year-old son Mahir Sarwar Megh.

Runi's brother Nawser Alam filed a murder case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station.

At that time, the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) was entrusted with the charge of the investigation into the murder case which was later transferred to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).

The elite crime-busting agency failed to submit the investigation report in court in the last 12 years.

On 30 September 2024, the High Court ordered the formation of a high-powered task force through the Ministry of Home Affairs to probe the case, removing the RAB from the charge.

On 23 October 2024, the government formed a four-member task force to investigate the murders. The task force was formed through a notification from the ministry. The notification asked the task force to submit its probe findings in six months.

The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) was named the task force convener though the notice did not reveal the names of the other members.

The task force also includes one representative not below the rank of additional deputy inspector general (DIG) of Police Headquarters, one representative of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the same rank, and one representative of the rank of RAB director.