The RAB yesterday handed over to the Halishahar police – the four suspected militants who were arrested on Saturday in connection with the recovery of a large cache of explosives from Chittagong city’s Halishahar area.
Golam Rabbani, a deputy assistant director of RAB 7, also lodged a case under the anti-terrorism act with the Halishahar police station.
The officer-in-charge of the station, Syed Abu Mohammad Shahjahan, told the Dhaka Tribune that those sued in the cases included the arrestees – Rahima Akhter, 21, a leader of Islami Chhatri Songstha’s Chittagong city (south) unit; her brother Fayjul Haq, 30; Mohammad Jahed, 30; Abdul Hai, 36; and two absconding suspects – Parvez and Aziz.
The arrestees would be produced before court today, while the police would plea for a 10-day remand for the four suspects, the OC added.
On Saturday, RAB 7 discovered a stockpile of explosives at the densely populated Bashundhara Residential Area in Chittagong city’s Halishahar and arrested the four.
The elite force seized 76 handmade grenades, 150kg of explosives, 30 types of bomb-making equipment and 24 rounds of shotgun ammunition. Other items that were seized included documents and books on jihad by Jamaat’s student front Islami Chhatra Shibir and other banned Islamist outfits.
Soon after the drive, RAB chief Benazir Ahmed visited the site and told a press conference that an entire army battalion could have been equipped with the explosives that had been recovered.
He also said the Rapid Action Battalion had discovered the explosives stockpile based on the confessions of 12 alleged militants arrested from Alipur area of Hathazari on February 19 and five more alleged militants arrested from Sadhanpur area of Banshkhali on February 21.