Family members of Mosarrat Jahan Munia, who was raped and murdered in April 2021, have called for a reinvestigation of the case filed against Bashundhara Group Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir.

Nusrat Jahan Tania, elder sister of Munia, made the call from a press conference at Jatiya Press Club on Tuesday. Tania urged the interim government to arrest Anvir.

In a written statement, Tania claimed that she had repeatedly requested former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to address these issues but never received a meeting with her.

Tania further said that when the case was transferred to the PBI, the Bashundhara Group influenced the investigation by bribing the then PBI chief to produce a biased report that acquitted Anvir and others.

Sayem Sobhan Anvir, the managing director of Bashundhara Group, and seven other individuals have been acquitted of charges of murder and rape in March this year in case over the death of student Munia.

Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina helped the rapist to be acquitted in the much-talked about case, claimed Tania, elder sister of Munia. She alleged that former Law Minister Anisul Huq, ex-IGP Benazir Ahmed and PBI chief Banaj Kumar were involved in covering up the murder and rape by accepting bribes on behalf of Anvir.

The family is seeking an executive order for the reinvestigation and demanding exemplary punishment for the main accused, Bashundhara Group Managing Director Anvir, and others allegedly involved in the case.

Tania, the victim's elder sister and the plaintiff in the case, accused the Bashundhara Group of attempting to use their influence to suppress the case.

"When I went to file a case at Gulshan Police Station, the land grabbers of Bashundhara tried to buy off the entire state machinery to cover up the incident of rape and murder," Tania said.

She further alleged that several law enforcement officials, including the then-Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed, played a "shameless role in saving Anvir".

Despite the arrests of other accused individuals, such as Saifa Rahman Mim and Faria Mahbub Piyasha, Anvir was neither questioned nor detained. Tania concluded by appealing to the legal adviser and the chief adviser to ensure justice for her sister.

"My sister might have made some mistakes, but the extreme injustice done to her must be addressed with exemplary punishment," she said. On 26 April 2021, police found the body of Munia hanging from a ceiling fan in her Gulshan flat. Tania initially filed a case accusing Anvir of incitement to suicide.

Tania claimed Munia was in a relationship with Anvir, who frequently visited her apartment. On 19 July 2021, Investigating Officer Abul Hasan submitted a final report clearing Anvir of wrongdoing.

However, on 6 September 2021, Tania filed a new case with Dhaka Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal 8, accusing Anvir and seven others of rape and murder.

The court, after recording the complaint, directed the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to submit a report on it. The PBI submitted the final report in the case on 19 October 2023.

"The most heartbreaking part is that Munia was pregnant by Anvir, which the PBI mentioned in their investigation. However, Anvir was never subjected to a sample test. While others accused in the case, like Saifa Mim and Piyasa, were arrested, Anvir has not been interrogated or arrested even once. We now hope for justice in this independent Bangladesh, especially after the fall of the dictator Hasina," she said.

Barrister M Sarwar, the lawyer representing the Munia murder case, said that Sayem Sobhan Anvir evaded justice by manipulating the state, the investigating officer, and even the court.

He further revealed that Anvir and his associates had attempted to bribe him into withdrawing from the case. Sarwar has called for a re-investigation of the case through an executive order.

Police recovered Munia’s body hanging from a ceiling fan in her flat in Gulshan on April 26, 2021. The duo had been in a relationship for around two years and Anvir used to visit Munia’s flat in Gulshan regularly.