2 cases filed, one arrested in Savar

Police have filed two separate cases over the recovery of explosives and suspected bomb-making materials in Savar, naming six alleged members of the banned militant group Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and several unidentified suspects.

Mohammad Arif, alias Imran, 26, has been shown arrested in one of the cases, Savar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Saiful Alam said on Thursday.

Sub-Inspector Md Alamgir Hossain of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) Investigation Division filed one of the cases on Wednesday night following the recovery of 11 live pipe bombs and a large quantity of suspected explosive-making materials from a house in Savar.

The other named accused are Md Nazmul Hasan Mamun, 32, of Shyampur in Savar; Md Akkas Ali, 30, of Sujanagar in Pabna; and Kamal Hossain, 45, Rakhi, 30, and Rakib, 30, of Diyakhali in Ashulia.

In a separate incident, SI Imran Hossain, in-charge of Bhabanipur Police Outpost, filed another case over the recovery of a pressure cooker-like object and a suspected bomb from the Sadhapur area of Savar. Six to seven unidentified people were named as accused in that case.

Police said investigators were analysing CCTV footage to identify those involved.

According to police, CTTC carried out a raid on the night of 11 August after receiving information that suspected Neo-JMB members had gathered for a secret meeting near an embankment in the Savar Tannery Estate area to allegedly plan acts of sabotage.

Arif was arrested during the operation.
Based on information obtained following his arrest, CTTC later raided a rented house in South Shyampur and recovered chemicals, suspected bomb-making materials, detonators, remote-control devices and other evidence.

Police also recovered 11 live pipe bombs from the location. Members of the Bomb Disposal Unit later defused the devices safely at the scene.

The Savar police chief said Arif was produced before a court on Thursday with a request for a 10-day remand for further interrogation.

Police, CTTC, Rapid Action Battalion and the Anti-Terrorism Unit are conducting operations to arrest the remaining suspects.