A Dhaka court on Saturday placed 12 people, arrested over suspected militant activities during a secret meeting at Tejgaon College Jame Mosque in Farmgate, on three-day remand.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Arifur Rahman passed the order after a hearing on Saturday.
Earlier, CTTC Inspector Akhter Morshed, the investigating officer in the case, sought seven days’ remand for each of the accused. Public prosecutor Azizul Haque Didar confirmed the matter.
During the hearing, the prosecution said the accused had allegedly planned to create instability in the country and recruit people to carry out jihad. Their remand was necessary to identify others involved, the prosecution said.
Defence lawyer Masud-ur Rahman opposed the remand plea and sought bail for the accused.
According to the remand application, the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit learned through intelligence and information technology that several young men had gathered near the Tejgaon Coca-Cola intersection with plans to disrupt public order, spread extremism and carry out a major violent incident.
Police later conducted a raid on May 18 with assistance from Tejgaon and Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police and arrested them.
Police said the arrestees were members of a secret WhatsApp group called “Meetup”, through which they allegedly exchanged extremist messages and communicated on various issues. Investigators alleged that they had gathered to plan subversive activities.
The arrested individuals are Mohammad Shihab Uddin, 32; Marzuk Ahmed, 26; Saifur Rahman Khan, 32; Rashmi Mia, 29; Kamichul Islam, 36; Sajjad Hossain, 22; Afif Ahmed, 20; Mohaiminul Haque, 27; Zauji Chowdhury, 19; Shahadat Hossain, 25; Sakib Ahmed, 26; and Junaid Ahmed, 21.
The CTTC said Shihab Uddin had previously been accused of involvement in extremist activities. A case filed against him under the Anti-Terrorism Act with Palash Police Station in Narsingdi is pending trial. Marzuk Ahmed is also facing a pending case under the Speedy Trial Act with Tejgaon police station.
The investigating officer said the accused needed to be questioned to ensure a proper investigation and uncover the circumstances surrounding the incident.The remand application also sought to recover and examine their mobile phones, SIM cards and other digital evidence, as well as analyse cyber data.
Investigators said they also needed to verify the suspects’ communications on WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram, Messenger and other social media platforms, identify the alleged planners and accomplices, and trace the sources of funding and financiers of the suspected extremist activities.
The court rejected the bail pleas and granted three days’ remand for each of the 12 accused.