Investigators have yet to make any breakthrough in identifying the cause behind the massive explosion that killed 12 and injured 100 in Dhaka's Moghbazar area one and a half years ago.
No arrests have been made in the fire incident either as the reason could not be fathomed.
Police had filed a case with Ramna Model police station under The Explosive Substances Act two days after the June 27 fire.
The then commissioner of Dhaka Metrpolitan Police (DMP), Shafiqul Islam, at the time had said the police did not find any evidence to suspect it was an incident of sabotage and said it was likely to have occurred due to gas leakage.
On June 27, 2021, an explosion rocked Moghbazar's Wireless Gate area, causing part of a three-storey building to collapse. Two buses were damaged by the flying debris. The blast also shattered windows and glass in the area.
The ground floor of the three-storey building housed a Shawarma House outlet and a Bengal Meat store. A Singer showroom was on the second floor.
Pedestrians said they heard a bang and saw an electric power transformer exploding, engulfing three passenger buses plying on and beneath the Moghbazar flyover.
Police immediately reported the deaths of three people. Two others died after being taken to hospital. Police and eyewitnesses said passengers from two buses were injured in the explosion.
As many as 36 people were immediately taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital while 12 others were admitted to Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
Several pedestrians as well were among those injured in the fire incident.
Later, the death toll and number of those injured increased to 12 and 100 respectively.
Several buildings adjacent to the spot of the fire were also damaged. They included a hospital and a school.
Crime scene experts of the CID, Police Bureau of Investigation and bomb disposal unit of law enforcing agencies visited the spot and conducted investigations.
Top officials of the fire service had hinted that the explosion could have been from a gas leakage, referring to the Narayanganj mosque blast that took place the year before.
On the other hand, Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd Managing Director (MD) Ali Iqbal Md Nurullah claimed that the explosion was not a pipeline leak.
A team from Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC) said initially it did not find any problem with the wiring that could have initiated the explosion.
The police formed a seven-member committee to investigate the blast while the Fire Service formed a five-member committee.
Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd also formed a three member committee while DPDC formed another committee.
The case statement, however, said that there was mismanagement on the part of the owner of the building and tenants who were operating different shops in the building, including one fast-food and electronics showroom.
According to sources, the case is currently under the jurisdiction of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC). It is continuing to interview officials and staff members of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company that were responsible for maintaining connections to the building. But they also did not find anyone's involvement in the incident.
Md Modasser Kaiser, investigating officer and an Inspector of CTTC, told Bangla Tribune that there had been no great progress in the investigation.
“We are working on it but we have not yet found anyone's involvement,” he said.
He also said that the law enforcers were trying to finalize the investigation at the earliest through coordinating with different agencies.
