The two death row convicts who recently escaped from the premises of a Dhaka court are currently under surveillance and will be arrested soon, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Detective Branch (DB) Additional Commissioner Mohammad Harun Or Rashid has said.
“They will be arrested any time. A number of precautions are being taken in order to make transporting militants safer from now on,” he said at the DMP media centre in Dhaka on Monday.
“The convicts sprayed something in the eyes of two policemen and escaped while they were being taken to court. Five of the police officers who were in charge that time have been temporarily suspended,” he added.
The DB chief further said police and the CTTC unit had visited the site from where the men made their escape.
“I set up check posts at all points inside Dhaka city and collected CCTV footage to review it immediately (after the escape),” he added.
The official said security had been beefed up in every area under the DMP.
“All the CCTV footage of the capital is being reviewed. The escaped militants will be arrested soon,” he added.
Meanwhile, five police officers who were on duty when the militants escaped have been temporarily suspended, DMP Prosecution Division Deputy Commissioner (DC) Jashim Uddin told the media on Monday.
The suspended police officers are CMM Court Jail Inspector Matiur Rahman, SI Nahidur Rahman Bhuiyan, ATSI Mohiuddin, Constable Sharif Hasan, and Abdus Sattar.
He said DMP is probing the incident to identify the individuals behind the incident.
Meanwhile, in a case filed by the police with the capital's Kotwali police station, sacked army major Syed Ziaul Haque was accused of being the mastermind behind the escape of the militants.
The case also said that the two militants received professional training from Ansar-al-Islam, according to media reports.
The escapees are Md Abu Siddique Sohel alias Sakib alias Sajid alias Shahab and Moinul Hasan Shamim alias Samir alias Sifat alias Imran.
The two Ansar al-Islam members had been sentenced to death in the case over the murder of Jagriti Publications publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan.
All RAB units working to arrest escapees
Commander Khandaker Al Moin, director of the RAB legal and media wing, yesterday said all units of the force, including detectives, were working to arrest the two death row convicts
He added that RAB had collected and was reviewing CCTV footage and other information.
The RAB official further said the agency was scrutinizing the patterns in previous crimes by the escapees.
Another probe body formed
The Police Headquarters has formed a four-member committee to investigate the escape of the two death row militants.
The head of the committee is DIG (Audit) Police Headquarters Md Aminul Islam while its member secretary is Additional DIG (Crime Metro) Md Hasanuzzaman. The members are CTTC's Dr AHM Kamruzzaman and CID's Special Superintendent of Police (Metro South) Md Anisur Rahman, according to Police headquarters Assistant Inspector General (Media and PR) Md Manjur Rahman.
The inquiry committee has been directed to submit a full report within the next three working days.
Earlier on Sunday, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) formed an investigation committee with DMP's additional commissioner of police as its chairman.