A journalist couple was found dead at their West Rajabazar residence in the city on Saturday.
Sagar Sarwar, a news editor of private TV channel Maasranga Television, was slaughtered while his wife Meherun Runi, a senior reporter of ATN Bangla, stabbed to death, said Harunur Rashid, additional deputy commissioner (Tejgaon zone).
Their five-year old son Mahi Sarwar Megh, who was sleeping at an adjacent room, found his parents lying on the floor of their bedroom when he woke up in the morning.
Mahi informed his grandmother about the killings over telephone around 6:30am, Runi’s mother told The Daily Star.
On information, high officials of police, Rapid Action Battalion and Criminal Investigation Department rushed to the spot.
Detective Branch of police picked up two younger brothers of Runi – Nawser Alam and Nawdish Alam – and two night guards Palash Rudra Pal and Humayun Kabirm who was on duty during the incident, for interrogation. They have been taken to DB police headquarters at the city’s Minto Road.
Our correspondent who is covering the incident reports Sagar’s leg was found tied up.
The main door of their rented flat on the top floor of the five-storied apartment ‘Shahjalal Rashid Lodge’ was found locked from inside but a grill of the kitchen’s window was found cut, the reporter added.
Security guard Pal said Runi was at home since Friday evening while Sarwar was dropped by an office car around 2:00am Saturday.
Nurunnabi, president of the flat association, told reporters that he heard screams of somebody when he woke up for Fazr prayers. He immediately called Pal and asked him to see where the sound was coming from.
But Pal could not detect exactly from which flat the sound was coming, he said.
Quoting Megh, Hamida Sultana, a resident of the neighbouring flat, said some guests had taken dinner at the house on Friday.
But Megh could not say anything about the killing, Sultana added.
Pal said he did not see anybody going out or in after Sarwar returned home early Saturday.
Our reporter checked a register book of the flat used for keeping records of visitors and found a man introducing himself as Toufiq entered Runi’s house at 4:52pm Friday but there is no record when he went out of the flat.
The bodies of Sarwar and Runi were sent to Dhaka Medical College Hoispital morgue for autopsy around 1:00pm.
Family sources said they will be buried at Azimpur graveyard after namaz-e-janazas at Dhaka Reporters Unity, Maasranga and ATN offices.
Home Minister Shahara Khatun, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Mahbubul Haque Shakil, Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University AAMS Arefin Siddique and Chief Executive Officer of Maasranga Television Syed Fahim Munaim visited the flat.
While visiting the scene, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Benazir Ahmed termed the killings as an unexpected incident, UNB reports.
The clue behind the double murder of journalists in the city would be unearthed within the shortest possible time as the intelligence agencies already began investigation, the DMP commissioner said.
