BANGLADESH

Police have recovered a blood-stained kitchen knife from the rented flat of the journalist couple who were murdered sometime in the early hours of Saturday.

Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police OC Zakir Hossain Mollah told late in the night that the knife was found at a corner of the bedroom floor.

It is there where their 5-year-old son 'Megh' found the butchered bodies lying after waking up around 7am. A knife was also found shoved 80 percent into the left side of the chest of Golam Mustofa Sarowar, alias Sagar Sarowar, the news editor of Maasranga Television.

His wife, ATN Bangla senior reporter Meherun Nahar Runi was also murdered in that flat in west Rajabazar in Dhaka. They were buried after post-mortem at Azimpur graveyard around 9pm.

They were hacked to death. Sagar's body had marks of random slashing with knives and other sharp weapons while Runi had just two deep wounds.

Forensic experts say that the wounds have led them to suspect that the murder was the work of non-professional killers. Rapid Action Battalion detectives suspect the assailants might have known the victims and the killing was pre-planned.

After the brutal murder of the couple was first reported by son 'Megh', police had locked the room because of the huge crowd who had gathered at the flat. They searched the room later in the night and recovered the kitchen knife.

Police on Saturday night also questioned the residents of the buildings beside the multistoried apartment complex on 58/A/2 holding of the area. They had earlier detained the building's security guard Polash Rudro Paul and caretaker Abu Taher for questioning.

Detective Branch (DB) police had also quizzed Runi's brothers Nowsher Alam and Nowshid Alam for at least an hour at DB headquarters.

Asked how the investigation was proceeding, Dhaka Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner Mahbubur Rahman told : "There is nothing new to say."

Home minister Shahara Khatun had ordered the police to arrest the guilty and submit the investigation report within 48 hours.