Bashundhara MD Anvir cleared of rape, murder charges over college student Muniya's death

He was earlier cleared of charges of instigating Mosarat Jahan Muniya to take her own life

Sayem Sobhan Anvir, the managing director of Bashundhara Group, and seven other individuals have been acquitted of charges of murder and rape in another case over the death of student Mosarat Jahan Muniya.

The Bashundhara boss had earlier got off the hook in a case on allegations that he instigated the college girl to take her own life.

Judge Shawkat Ali of Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-8 passed the latest verdict on Wednesday, said Public Prosecutor Mohammad Rezaul Karim.

A final report of the Police Bureau of Investigation police said no accused was recommended to be prosecuted.

The judge dismissed a plea by Muniya’s sister Nusrat Jahan Tania, the plaintiff of the case, objecting to the police report.

The other accused who have been acquitted of the charges are Anvir’s father Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, mother Afroza Sobhan, wife Sabrina Sobhan, model Faria Mahbub Piasa, apartment owner Ibrahim Ahmed Ripon, Ripon’s wife Sharmin Akter, and Saifa Rahman Mim, former wife of Awami League politician Shamsul Hoque Chowdhury’s son Sharun Chowdhury.

Muniya's body was found hanging in a flat in Dhaka’s Gulshan on Apr 26, 2021.

She was an HSC candidate at a college in Dhaka. After losing her parents, she was living in the capital alone while other members of her family were in Cumilla.

According to the first case, Sayem had an “affair” with Muniya and used to visit her at a Gulshan flat he rented for her.

Tania alleged that Anvir had promised to marry her, but later refused, threatened her and asked her to leave, which spurred her to die by suicide.

A month after the court acquitted Anvir of the charges in the first case in August 2021, Tania filed the second case, alleging Anvir persuaded Muniya to have a physical relationship with him with promises to marry her.

Later he murdered her, and his family and the other accused were his accomplices, according to the charges in the second case.

But the investigation officer said in the report he had not find any evidence pointing to the involvement of Anvir or any of the other suspects in the rape and murder of the student.

After Tania’s no-confidence plea was heard by the court on Mar 10, the plaintiff’s lawyer M Sarwar Hossain said the charges were proved in the PBI investigation.

He said he would challenge the “wrong order” in the High Court.

Dhaka Bar Council President Abdur Rahman Howlader and General Secretary Anwar Hossain represented the defendants in the court.