Enough evidence about the involvement of three suspects -- Shafiat Sobhan and Bashundhara Group directors Khairul Hasan Uzzal and Shamsuddin Ahmed -- in the sensational murder had been found a couple of months into the killing of Humayun, a director of Bashundhara Tele-communications Ltd, said a police official monitoring the case.

Uzzal was arrested months after the murder while Shamsuddin after the caretaker government took over power.

Two female witnesses, who were at the party when Humayun was killed on July 5 last year, have already given judicial statements before a court disclosing the names of the three as involved with the killing, the police official said.

He said their team had silently moved forward with the investigation to find out the criminals but interference by the influential quarters stood in the way of producing the probe report before the court for trial.

The joint forces have recovered Tk 20 crore, which arrested former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar received from Bashundhara Group for not implicating Shafiat in the murder case.

After receiving the bribe, Babar had allegedly instructed the police not to proceed with the case and let Sobhan's son Shafiat fly out of the country. Shafiat is now staying in London, sources said.

"The case is proved primarily and two of the three accused are already arrested," said Investigation Officer of the case Abdur Razzak, an assistant commissioner of Detective Branch of Police.

Criminal Investigation Department chief Foni Bhushan Chowdhury, who has been supervising the case, told The Daily Star yesterday that the investigation is at the final stage and the charge sheet will be submitted soon.

Humayun was found dead on the ground beside 'Dream House', a Bashundhara office, the upper floor of which was used as a pleasure house, on Road No 104 at Gulshan-2 in the capital.

A number of wealthy businessmen, young leaders of the then ruling party and several television and film actresses used to frequent the pleasure house, especially at night.

Soon after Humayun's murder, a powerful quarter was trying to pass it off as a case of suicide or unnatural death although forensic experts found clear evidence of homicide in the post-mortem examination.

Humayun's family members, who once got frustrated due to dubious role of the authorities concerned in arresting the suspects, have now become hopeful of getting justice.

"Top officials of a law enforcement agency phoned us around 40 days back and assured us of taking proper steps so that the murderers can be punished," said a close relative of Humayun seeking anonymity.

He said we lost hope and refrained from the procedure of follow-up of the investigation as police did not arrest or question Shafiat, who had called Humayun out of his house before his killing.

"I repeatedly called the police to know what happen to Humayun the morning he was killed. But police told me to keep calm as 'nothing serious had happened'," Humayun's brother-in-law AFM Asif told The Daily Star. "I was informed of his death three hours later and even his post-mortem was carried out in absence of us," he added.

Bashundhara Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan alias Shah Alam is on the Anti-Corruption Commission's list of graft suspects. He flew to London soon after the anti-graft drive began and has been staying abroad since then.