Nearly a year after the owner of a popular Owen Sound restaurant was fatally attacked outside of his eatery, arrests have been made in the case.
Owen Sound police, along with the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch, announced the arrests in Sharifur Rahman's murder on Thursday.
The 44-year-old restaurateur and an employee were brutally assaulted outside of the Curry House on 2nd Avenue East on August 17, 2023. Rahman was taken to hospital in London where he died from his injuries a week later. The employee suffered minor injuries in the attack.
Police previously said the men were assaulted after Rahman asked three men inside the restaurant to pay their bill as it was closing time. The request sparked what police called a "dispute."
The murder caused outrage in the community and sparked a year-long search for two suspects. A description of those men and a suspect vehicle was released in the days that followed the deadly assault.
Owen Sound police confirmed the arrests were made on July 30. However, they have not said how many people were taken into custody.
"Due to the complexity of this ongoing investigation and to protect its integrity and potential court proceedings, the OPP and Owen Sound Police Service are unable to comment further at this time," police said in a statement. "Updates will be provided when they become available."
Police are thanking the public for their support and "valuable" tips they provided throughout the investigation.
"We recognize the significant impact this case has had on the community and we sincerely appreciate everyone’s patience as we continue to conduct a thorough and comprehensive investigation," police said.
The Curry House reopened to customers three month's after Rahman's death. It is run by his's widow. The same month, Rahman was posthumously given the 2023 YMCA Peace Medal for his exceptional contributions to peace-building within the community and beyond. Last December, a scholarship fund in Rahman's memory was also unveiled by Community Foundation Grey Bruce in December. It is awarded to area students enrolled in full-time post-secondary studies, with a strong preference given to applicants who either themselves, or their parents, are immigrants or refugees to Canada.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call police at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or ontariocrimestoppers.ca.