During its lengthy investigation for 12 years and five months into the much-talked-about murder of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has come up with a one and identical observation every time that it could not gather sufficient evidence to solve the case.

The elite force only arrested eight ‘innocent’ people and sent the DNA samples from the crime scene to a photo-preparing organisation in the United States to make photos of two suspects in long course of investigation.

However, the organisation could not create recognisable images from the DNA, dealing a further blow to the RAB’s efforts to identify the two men and crack the case, according to the sources.

They said the police investigation surrounded mainly thieves and robbers while the investigation of the RAB was based on those two men and attempted to trace the two men whose DNA was found.

The sources said 145 thieves and robbers in 130 theft and robbery cases filed at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Tejgaon, Mohammadpur, Dhanmondi and Kalabagan police stations were investigated. Besides, the statements of 169 witnesses were taken, but to no effect.

Nawsher Alam Roman, the brother of Runi, told the Daily Sun that only two laptops, a mobile, some cash and gold ornaments were looted from the flat though there were many other things.

“Why were other valuables not looted if it was an incident of robbery or theft?” he said, posing a question.

Additional Superintendent of Police at the RAB Anwar Hossain Bhuiyan, also the latest investigating officer (IO) of the case, in a report submitted to the department concerned just before the force was removed from the task of investigation came with an opinion that the case may be shifted to either the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) or Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to crack it, said sources in the RAB.

Supreme Court lawyer Mohammad Shishir Manir, a counsel of the plaintiff, told a programme recently that some powerful figures of the last government were involved in the murder. But he did not disclose their names.

He said the investigation into the double murder was not carried out in the right way.

Crime analyst Dr Md Tawohidul Haque, also an associate professor at the Institute of Social Welfare and Research under Dhaka University, told the Daily Sun that it may take long time for investigation into a murder incident, but it does not mean that the time will be more than 12 years. “The Sagar-Runi murder case is not such a case for which so much time is needed. It should be examined whether the time was wasted in the name of investigation,” he said.

The RAB spokesperson could not be reached for comments in this regard. From 2:00 am to 7:30 am on 12 February 2012, Maasranga Television News Editor Sagar and his wife ATN Bangla senior reporter Meherun Runi were hacked and stabbed to death at their West Razabazar flat in the capital.

Two laptops, a mobile set, some gold ornaments and some cash were looted from the flat.

On that day, Roman filed a murder case at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station.

Sub-inspector (SI) Jahirul Islam of the police station first investigated the murder for four days. Later, the onus of investigation was shifted to Detective Branch of police SI Rabiul Alam who looked into it till 18 April 2012.

On 19 April that year, the RAB was entrusted with the task of investigation. The submission of the probe report has so far been extended 114 times since the elite force took charge of the investigation.

Six senior police officers at the RAB investigated it. Additional SP Anwar Hossain Bhuiyan was the last investigation officer.

Finally, on 30 September, the High Court removed the force from the investigation and ordered the government to form a task force for the investigation, asking it to complete the probe within six months.

On 24 October, the government formed a four-member task force with the PBI chief as its head to investigate the sensational double murder.